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TWICE LOYAL 

A NOVEL 


BY 

MARY K. WHITE 



THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
MO Fourth Avenue, New York 
MCMXVII 



Copyright, 1917, by 
Mary K. White 








©CU476155 

'Vt’P' ( . 




TO 

THE MEMORY OF 

MY BROTHER 
J. M. K. 


TWICE LOYAL 


CHAPTER I 

The slanting rays of the September sun, straggling 
through the open windows of the crowded stage coach 

that w T as making its daily trip from the city of M , 

the capital of one of the South Atlantic States, — to the 
county seat of an adjoining county, fell lightly upon 
the strong clear cut features of a young man seated 
well to the front, who was busily engaged in the perusal 
of a morning newspaper. 

The coach coming to a halt, the driver leaned over 
the end of the seat upon which he was perched and 
relieved his mouth of a huge quid of tobacco, which 
he jealously watched until it fell, — a spattering mass, 
— to the pure white earth below ; then, bending his head 
a trifle lower, he called out in a trumpet-like tone: 

“ Myrwood ! ” 

At the call, the young man, who had provoked no 
little curiosity among his fellow travelers, climbed out 
and hastily began shaking the dust from his light over- 
coat, while his glance idly followed the retreating coach 
as it descended the hill beyond. Then he passed 
through the huge iron gateway and walked slowly up 
the shaded avenue, stopping ever and anon to gaze on 
the beauty of the familiar surroundings. 

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TWICE LOYAL 


2 

Gleaming white through the great trees, the blue 
smoke curling upward from one of its red chimneys, 
rose the stately mansion of Judge Hunter, which from 
its elevated position commanded an extensive view of 
the country beyond. 

Standing on the broad piazza that surrounded three 
sides of the house were two girls, the younger protest- 
ing with the older: 

“ Caddie,” she said, “ I think it cruel of Uncle 
Thomas to take you away to boarding school. I can’t 
see why a girl should want to be a walking encyclopedia, 
anyway. If ever I know one-half what you do, I will 
be satisfied.” 

“ While it grieves me very much to leave home, 
Frankie, I realize it is for my ultimate good; besides, 
it is the wish of mother that I graduate from the school 
in which she finished. I am sure when you reach 
a more mature age, little cousin, you, too, will be 
shipped North for a finishing touch.” 

“ Indeed, I shall never, never leave this beautiful 
spot, — no, not for all the knowledge in Yankeedom! 
There are schools in the South quite good enough for 
me when I am ready for further polishing,” said the 
indignant child, thrusting one small foot through the 
white railing. Suddenly turning, she poutingly re- 
marked : 

“ Since you must go, then promise me you will not 
come home with that sweet voice of yours screwed up 
to a nasal twang pitch like that of Miss Gibbs, my 
governess.” 

“Come, spitfire; you must not allow prejudices to 


TWICE LOYAL 


S 


provoke sarcasm,” laughingly interposed Judge Hun- 
ter as he came from the hall-way. Whatever reply the 
child might have had ready was cut short by the ap- 
proach of a gentleman who had opened the low gate and 
was now coming up the gravel walk. Mounting the 
steps, he soon faced the trio. 

“ Robert Neville ! I am glad to welcome you back 
to your native land. When did you arrive?” said 
Judge Hunter, grasping the hand of the new-comer. 

“ I arrived in town this morning, — directly from 
New York, — and came over this far in the stage-coach, 
thinking to borrow a horse from you whereby I might 
complete my journey to Neville Hall.” 

“ Mr. Neville, this is my daughter Catherine whom 
you remember as a tot in aprons when on your last 
visit home before going to Europe, and this black-eyed 
gypsy is my niece, Frances Carey, who has been initi- 
ated into my family since you left America.” With 
which explanation, Judge Hunter excused himself to 
give orders to the hostler to saddle and bridle a mount 
for the young gentleman’s use. 

Mr. Neville, after extending his hand to each of the 
girls, let his eyes rest long upon the face of Catherine 
Hunter. He would never forget the picture: a girl of 
sixteen summers stood before him, clad in a dark blue 
travelling suit, a little round hat of the same hue 
perched jauntily upon a mass of golden hair, which fell 
in rippling waves below the waist; large hazel eyes 
looked laughingly out from under long silken lashes; 
the figure, though slight, was exquisitely moulded; the 
dainty mouth in its curves of scarlet beauty, now 


4 


TWICE LOYAL 


lightly parted, disclosed teeth of pearly whiteness. 
Apparently unconscious of the gaze riveted upon her, 
Catherine Hunter shyly remarked: 

“ I remember you, Mr. Neville, as the rescuer of a 
favorite doll, which was being dreadfully torn by a 
Newfoundland pup six years ago. Do you recall the 
incident? 55 

“As vividly, Miss Catherine, as though it were yes- 
terday, I can see you now as you came running down the 
avenue, with tearful eyes and floating curls, chasing 
the mischievous animal, and crying, 6 Stop, Canto ! 
Naughty dog, you are killing my Annette. O my poor, 
poor dolly ! ’ 99 

“ Your memory, Mr. Neville, requires no prompting. 
I still have in my possession that same French doll, 
although her beauty was marred by the ungentle man- 
ner in which she was handled that morning so long ago. 
I prize the doll, because she was presented to my grand- 
mother Hunter by LaFayette on her tenth birthday.” 

A carriage drawn by a pair of black horses emerged 
from behind a clump of tall crepe-myrtle trees that 
grew a short distance from the house, and stopped in 
front of the gate. Then a horse, — glossy, with beau- 
tifully arched neck, led by a negro boy, — soon followed. 
Judge Hunter returned, accompanied by his wife. Mrs. 
Hunter greeted the young man graciously. From his 
early youth she had admired the handsome boy who now 
stood before her in his perfect manhood. 

“ Robert, my daughter and I are just leaving for 
New York, where she will enter a young ladies’ finishing 
school. We must catch the 7 :30 train going north. I 


TWICE LOYAL 


5 


expect to be home in less than a week, and hope to see 
you at Myrwood frequently,” said Judge Hunter. 
Then, taking leave of his wife and niece, he and Neville 
went down the steps together. 

Catherine said good-by to her mother and cousin 
and soon followed. Hurrying along the winding walk, 
she stopped to pluck a white rosebud, which she fas- 
tened at her belt. Passing through the gateway she 
joined her father and his companion, who had preceded 
her, and stood waiting at the open door of the carriage, 
until she was assisted to the cushioned seat by her 
father, who then took his place at her side. Mr. Ne- 
ville closed the door and, mounting his horse, preceded 
the carriage as it rolled down the avenue, out through 
the gateway, and on to the public road. Here the ways 
parted, so, reining in his steed, he bowed to the occu- 
pants of the vehicle, and kept uncovered until it dis- 
appeared from sight around a sharp curve of the road. 


CHAPTER II 


The afternoon was almost spent. The sun, sinking 
behind the long stretch of pines, darted spears of light 
across the hazy landscape. Then it disappeared be- 
hind a mass of vapory clouds, again to flash forth as 
if to linger in its downward course, to catch the greet- 
ing smile of the queenly moon coming slowly from the 
east, — regal in silver splendor and beauty, — to reign 
undisputed over the world of night. 

Turning his horse, Robert Neville cantered briskly 
over the smooth graveled road that led to the home of 
his boyhood, — the home of his youthful sorrow, made 
empty by the death of his sweet young mother when 
he was scarcely ten years old. 

His father Horace Neville, crushed and heartbroken 
over the loss of his wife, developed into a morose, selfish 
man, seeing few people other than his lifelong friend, 
Thomas Hunter. Robert was provided with a tutor at 
home; and when he was fifteen years of age, his father 
died, leaving him sole heir to a vast estate. Judge 
Hunter, being chosen guardian, sent him away to col- 
lege, where he was graduated at the age of nineteen. 
He was then sent to England, to finish at Oxford. 
Coming into possession of his fortune at the age of 
twenty-two, Robert proved himself a careful and judi- 
cious financier. Investments in certain European 
6 


TWICE LOYAL 


7 


stocks had been almost doubled. And now, after years 
of study, travel, and financial experience, be was once 
more at the threshold of his ancestors. 

Standing before the polished mahogany door, young 
Neville pulled the heavy silver knocker, and looked 
reverently about him. Neville Hall, with its spacious 
grounds, majestic trees, and beautiful shrubbery, was 
considered one of the finest old homes in the State, but 
ever since the death of Horace Neville it had remained 
unoccupied but for a faithful negro and his wife, who 
had been in charge. 

Footsteps sounded from within; the great door swung 
open, and the old family butler stood before his mas- 
ter. “ Mars Robert, as shoah as I’se bawn ! ” was his 
greeting. “ Me an’ Liza is moughty glad ter welcome 
you home. We’s bin strainin’ our eyes from mawnin’ 
till night fur de pas’ week, spectin’ you. Marse Jedge 
Hunter done rode ober ’bout ten days ergo an’ tole us 
dat you done ’rived in New ’ork.” 

Stepping into the spacious hall, with its broad wind- 
ing stairway and artistically frescoed walls, from which 
hung the family portraits, the young master experi- 
enced a feeling of loneliness such as he had never felt 
before. A door opened, and a negro woman past mid- 
dle life came hurriedly toward him. 

“ Praise de Lawd fur bringin’ my boy back ter his 
ole mammy ! ” she exclaimed, with tears streaming down 
the black, wrinkled face. Then, taking Robert’s hand, 
she looked up approvingly at the handsome man who, 
with his six feet of height, towered before her, and said: 
“ Ez fur back ez I kin ’member none ob de Neville gem- 


8 


TWICE LOYAL 


min wuz ez gran’ lookin’ ez you is, young Marse.” 

“ Come, mammy, don’t allow yourself to think for a 
moment that you can satisfy the appetite of your 
hungry boy on so unstable a diet as flattery. A cup 
of your coffee, beaten biscuits, and chicken croquettes 
will suit my fastidious taste better.” 

“ Jes’ what I’se gvvine giv yo fur yo supper. Ceptin’ 
dat instid ob coquets de chicken’s gwine to be friad. 
No, I ain’ furgot what my boy laik.” 

“ You and William forget nothing that tends to 
promote my comfort. I return after a lapse of six 
years to find you the same faithful servants.” 

With a low courtesy the negro woman left the room, 
and Robert Neville, escorted by the faithful William, 
ascended the stairway, crossed the wide hall, and en- 
tered his room. 

It being the season of the year when the atmosphere 
becomes chilly as twilight approaches, a light wood fire 
crackled and blazed in the fireplace. On the mantel- 
piece were two lighted candles. The massive mahog- 
any bedstead, with its spotless covering, looked as 
though it had not been disturbed since he slept in it 
six years ago. His toilet made, young Neville went 
down to supper, there to find a bountiful feast prepared 
in honor of his return. On leaving the dining-room 
he assured his devoted servants that he had not par- 
taken of such a meal since leaving Neville Place. 

As it was a beautiful night, he went out for a stroll 
through the well-kept grounds. The moon, flooding 
the heavens and earth with mystic splendor, cast fleet- 
ing shadows over the white shelled walks that wound 


TWICE LOYAL 


9 


in and out among artistically arranged flower beds, 
from which came the odor of decaying bloom. 

“ There is nothing that I have seen in all my travels 
that surpasses this,” were his thoughts. Returning to 
the house, he retired immediately to his room, where 
he seated himself before the glowing fire and took 
from a table near by a copy of Milton’s “ Paradise 
Lost.” Opening the book, he listlessly scanned the 
pages, the letters of which soon became blurred, then 
at length disappeared, to be replaced by a winsome face, 
laughing eyes, and sunlit curls. 

That the serenity of his mind had been disturbed 
he was forced to admit. 

“ Strange,” he mused, “ that after being lionised in 
the drawing-rooms of two continents, with beauty and 
wealth at my feet, I should return to find my adamantine 
heart awakened by the rare loveliness of a school-miss, 
— almost within sight of my home.” 

Closing the book, young Neville went to the window 
and looked out upon the sky jewelled with stars. The 
moon, hanging low in the west, had dropped behind a 
cloud. A breeze from the south stirred the wax-like 
leaves of the great magnolia trees that towered ma- 
jestically in the distance. The mournful notes of a 
restless bird came from a spreading cedar tree below. 
Turning, he discovered that the candles were flickering 
and that the fire burned low. With a feeling of hap- 
piness such as he had not before experienced, he retired 
as the clock struck twelve. 


CHAPTER III 


“ Has Robert Neville been over to see you during 
my absence? ” asked Judge Hunter, addressing his wife, 
as he seated himself among his books in the library on 
the morning of his return from the East, where he had 
placed his daughter in a school for young ladies. 

“ Yes, he spent an evening with us,” replied Mrs. 
Hunter, “ and proved himself very entertaining. Miss 
Gibbs thinks him the most cultivated gentleman that 
she has had the privilege of meeting.” 

“ I dare say that she has never met more than a 
half dozen men socially since attaining womanhood,” 
remarked the Judge, dryly. 

“ I think, my dear, that our governess while traveling 
in Europe with Mrs. Conway before coming South had 
the opportunity of meeting many cultured people. I 
fear Frankie’s growing dislike of Miss Gibbs is only 
your prejudice reflected. We were certainly most for- 
tunate in procuring her as teacher for our daughter 
and niece.” 

“ Admitting, Elizabeth, that Miss Gibbs is highly 
cultured, I find it a difficult matter to admire this 
woman from Vermont whose object in migrating South, 
I dare say, was more to ensnare some rich planter into 
a matrimonial trap than to instruct the embryo mind ; 
the finest veneering you know, sometimes conceals im- 
10 


TWICE LOYAL 


11 


perfections ; and I certainly feel the time will come, my 
dear, when you will be forced to see beyond the polish 
of our talented governess.” 

The conversation was here interrupted by footsteps 
in the hall, the library door was thrown open, and Mr. 
Neville was ushered into the room by the negro butler. 

“Glad to see you, Robert,” said Judge Hunter, 
rising from his chair. “ My wife and I were speaking 
of you only a moment ago.” 

The young man, bowing to the lady, who he saw 
was in the act of quitting the room, politely said: 

“ I hope, Mrs. Hunter, that my presence here will 
not hasten your departure, or I may very much regret 
the intrusion.” 

“ Which I will certainly excuse, Mr. Neville, only on 
these terms, — that you dine with us at Myrwood to- 
day.” 

“ A most hospitable method of punishment I dare 
say, madam. Shall I surrender, sir P ” appealingly to 
the Judge. 

“ Realizing that a house divided against itself cannot 
stand I am in duty bound to urge upon you, Robert, 
the acceptance of my wife’s invitation. You will re- 
main? ” 

“ Most willingly.” And Mr. Neville held open the 
door while the lady passed from the room. Left alone, 
the gentlemen talked without restraint. 

“ Robert,” said the Judge, slowly pushing back the 
waving chestnut hair from his broad forehead, “ I hear 
you have been very fortunate in your investments.” 

“ Yes, I have been very highly favored, the world 


12 


TWICE LOYAL 


might say. I have made some lucky deals. Five years 
ago, soon after assuming control of my affairs, I 
bought shares in an Australian gold mine, of which the 
yearly output yields me a handsome income far be- 
yond my expectations.” 

“ Do you intend to settle down at Neville Hall, or 
be off again on another six years’ tour? ” asked Judge 
Hunter. 

“ Having made arrangements with my father’s only 
sister, whom I expect next week to take charge of my 
house, I will remain at home for a time at least.” 

66 An ideal plan for a young bachelor, but I hope, 
Robert, you are not contemplating permanent celi- 
bacy.” 

“ Which is rather a difficult question to answer, sir, — 
a problem for future solution. At present I shall 
discard all thought of any matrimonial alliance, and 
plunge into my chosen profession, — the practise of 
law.” 

“ Although being aware of your superior ability in 
that direction, it never occurred to me that, with your 
estates and varied interests to look after, you would 
settle down to actual practise.” 

“ With my plantation in charge of efficient overseers, 
my foreign interests in the hands of careful agents, to 
what better purpose can my time and talents be given 
than to a profession that I hope may eventually help 
me into politics. Ever since my return to America 
I have been facing complex questions, — such as will 
require careful and conscientious statesmanship to un- 
ravel.” 


TWICE LOYAL 


13 


“ Our tottering nation is certainly in dire need of 
conservative, right-thinking minds, to prevent the over- 
throw that threatens her. Stupendous problems con- 
front us: the sections are becoming more and more 
estranged; the fanatics of the North are adding fuel 
to the flame fast spreading over the South, making 
fire-eaters of our leaders. What we want is clear- 
sighted men at the head of the nation,” replied Judge 
Hunter. 

Dinner being announced, Judge Hunter and his guest 
descended to the dining-room, where they were joined 
by Mrs. Hunter, Miss Gibbs, and Frankie Carey. 
That the governess was keenly interested in the master 
of Neville Hall was unmistakably evident; and with 
cunning tact she prolonged the midday meal, plying 
Mr. Neville with questions regarding his travels. Ezra 
the butler had passed the wine, and the small crystal 
glasses had been emptied of their sparkling contents 
some fifteen minutes ere the gentlemen could find an 
opportunity to excuse themselves from the table. 

Returning to the library they each lighted a cigar 
and settled themselves once more for a sociable chat. 

“ It occurs to me,” said Mr. Neville, “ that I have 
seen your niece’s governess, though the time and place 
I cannot recall. Have you any knowledge of her past 
life?” 

“ She was a protege of a Boston woman, — Mrs. 
Conway, a schoolmate of my wife. The parents of 
Miss Gibbs lived among the mountains of Vermont and 
kept summer boarders. The Conways stopped with 
them one season and while there Helen attracted the 


14 


TWICE LOYAL 


attention of the wealthy Bostonian who made an of- 
fer to educate her as teacher. Gaining the consent of 
her parents the girl was placed in college, graduating 
several years later. She then traveled through Europe 
for a year as companion to Mrs. Conway, who, when 
on their return to America, secured the young lady a 
position in a New England school. The parents of 
Miss Gibbs in the meantime moved from Vermont over 
into Canada. About a year and a half ago my wife 
received a letter from Mrs. Conway, the contents of 
which were as just stated by me, also an appeal to 
Mrs. Hunter that she use her influence in behalf of 
the New England teacher, who had been ordered South 
by her physician. Through me a position was secured 
for her in our town academy. A year ago Miss Gibbs 
persuaded my wife to employ her as governess in our 
family. She had been in our employ just six months 
when, to my very great surprise one day, there was 
ushered into my private office, a pale gaunt looking 
fellow with a slight limp, who introduced himself as 
Mr. Ethan Gibbs. He unhesitatingly told me that his 
sister, Helen Gibbs, had written him to come South 
where positions awaited young men of good habits and 
business ability. While I did not like the expression 
of the fellow’s black beady eyes, — which were set a 
trifle too close together in his small head, — I could 
not help but admire his shrewdness of manner when 
talking on business matters. As a result of his visit 
to me that day, a position was secured with Tipton & 
Co., cotton shippers, where my influence placed him 
on a good salary.” 


TWICE LOYAL 


15 


44 Your story,” said Mr. Neville, 44 removes the web 
that entangled my memory. I now recall a laughable 
incident of my college days. With your permission 
I’ll relate it.” 


CHAPTER IV 


44 During one of the short vacations I was invited 
to spend a few days at the home of a favorite class- 
mate, son of a Boston broker. On the morning of my 
arrival in the city of new fangled isms and notions, 
my friend Bertram Conway met me at the station. 
Escorting me to his carriage in waiting, he was just 
in the act of seating himself at my side when our at- 
tention was attracted to a young girl, who came rush- 
ing out of the waiting-room as if in quest of some one. 

44 Springing from the vehicle, Bertram hastened to- 
wards her, whereupon the look of uneasiness vanished 
like magic from the girl’s pretty face. Coming up to 
where she was standing, he handed her a purse from 
his pocket, there was an exchange of words and soon 
he returned, took his place at my side, and apologized 
for his abrupt departure. As we drove along I won- 
dered who the girl might be, when finally, my curiosity 
getting the better of me, I asked who she was; his 
answer much to my surprise was : 

44 4 Sister Helen.’ 

44 4 It was certainly my impression, Bertram, that 
you were an only child,’ replied I, 4 never having heard 
you speak of a sister.’ Seeming not to hear my re- 
mark, he laughingly continued, 

44 4 At my mother’s request I escorted Helen to the 
16 


TWICE LOYAL 


17 


depot this morning, and was commissioned to buy her 
a ticket to a certain town in Vermont. I had just 
secured the ticket from the agent, when, hearing your 
train come in, I forgot all about Helen, and had not 
her timely appearance on the platform reminded me 
of my carelessness, the poor girl would have been with- 
out ticket or purse.’ 

“ Thinking it strange that a young man would speak 
so unconcernedly of his sister and leave her unescorted 
at a public place, I changed the subject. That eve- 
ning while at dinner Mrs. Conway asked her son if he 
had introduced Helen to Mr. Neville. 

44 Bertram then laughingly related the incident of 
the morning. After he was through I then ventured 
this question: 

44 4 Your daughter, Mrs. Conway, I presume, expects 
to spend the summer among the hills of Vermont.’ 
With a look of astonishment she replied: 

44 4 My daughter, Mr. Neville? I don’t understand, 
but if you refer to the young person whom my son so 
ungallantly neglected at the station this morning you 
are laboring under a mistake.’ 

44 1 looked reproachfully across the table at young 
Conway who was almost convulsed with laughter. His 
mother, suspecting I had been misinformed as to the 
young girl’s identity, asked her son for an explanation. 
His reply was that, if he were expected to act in the 
capacity of brother and escort to Helen, the title of 
sister should henceforth be conferred upon her, that 
he did not want the public to misconstrue any atten- 
tion he was forced to show the girl, adding that he 


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TWICE LOYAL 


was determined his friends should not class him as an 
admirer of one whom he detested. Mr. Conway smiled 
approvingly at his son’s sarcastic reply. The subject 
being dismissed, the girl’s name was not again men- 
tioned during my stay at the Conway home. 

“ Accidentally meeting Bertram Conway at Naples 
some weeks prior to my sailing for America, he in- 
formed me of his mother’s death, which had occurred 
more than a year previous. I then jokingly asked 
about the protege. He told me that she had gone 
South where he believed she had procured a position as 
teacher in some city school, that as neither he nor his 
father liked the girl, all knowledge of her had been 
completely obliterated since his mother’s death.” 

Relighting a partially consumed cigar, Robert 
Neville’s dark eyes followed the curling smoke, as it 
slowly formed in blue rings above his well-poised head. 
The recital of the story awakened slumbering memories 
of college days forever gone, yet ever present, — days 
wherein the seed of knowledge is sown and the new life 
of the boy slowly develops under the guidance of the 
guardian spirit of the master mind. Silence fell be- 
tween the two men, broken at length by the judge, who 
began : 

“ Robert, since you have expressed a desire to enter 
the legal profession, how would you like to become a 
member of my firm? I find it hard at my time of life 
to be always prompt at my office in the city.” And 
Judge Hunter slowly rubbed his hands together. 

“ I should consider it a very great privilege to be 
associated with you, sir,” replied Mr. Neville. 


TWICE LOYAL 


19 


“ When would you like to put on the harness ? ” asked 
his companion, a twinkle in his eye. 

“ Nothing preventing, I will be ready for duty next 
week,” said Mr. Neville, who a few moments later took 
leave of his former guardian, and going briskly down 
the steps, crossed the yard, and opened the gate to 
find Frankie Carey, with firm grasp on a bridle, strok- 
ing the glossy mane of his thoroughbred. 

“ You would make a capital trainer, Miss Frankie. 
Do you ride ? ” 

“Yes, sir,” replied the girl. “ Cousin Caddie and 
I rode every day when the weather would permit; but 
since she left I don’t care for anything.” 

“ Are you so very much in love with your cousin, 
little girl? ” 

“ In love with her ! Why everybody loves my beau- 
tiful cousin, Mr. Neville. You, too, will learn to love 
her when you know her better,” said the child, looking 
innocently up into the handsome face. 

“Have you no other associate, Frankie?” 

“ Yes, Roy Banes.” 

“ Who is Roy Banes ? ” 

“ He is just the best boy in the state, Mr. Neville. 
His father runs the grist mill two miles down the river. 
The Baneses are poor people, but Uncle Thomas 
says they are more honorable than some who own 
slaves.” 

“ Does this boy friend of yours come to Myrwood 
often? ” 

“ He comes as far as the back fence when he knows 
I am through with my lessons, and he whistles for me ; 


20 


TWICE LOYAL 


then off we go to our play-house, — just over there in 
that clump of pines east of the road.” 

“ How do you manage to entertain a boy, Frankie? ” 

“ I would much rather play with a boy any day, 
Mr. Neville, than a flitty-flutty girl that is afraid of 
her shadow. Girls, sir, are too weak and frivolous 
for me to waste time on. Roy Banes says that he is 
sure that I was intended for a boy but that the stork 
carried me off before God had placed his tag on me.” 

“ Has Roy any knowledge of books ? ” asked Mr. 
Neville, a smile lurking about the corners of his mouth. 

“ I am teaching him how to read, and he is as far as 
addition in Ray’s Arithmetic ; he can write a little, too. 
Yesterday he actually wrote my name! ” wound up the 
child enthusiastically. 

“ With such a clever little teacher to instruct him, 
Roy Banes should become President of the United 
States.” 

“ I am not educating him for President, sir, but for 
a sailor. Why, he can climb the highest pine tree 
about here ; and he is teaching me to follow him. If 
I were just only a boy and could discard this useless 
toggery that girls are forced to wear, I am sure that 
I could find as many bird-nests as Roy.” 

The tinkling of a bell was heard, and soon a half- 
grown deer was rubbing his nose familiarly against the 
cheek of the girl, who still grasped the bridle of the 
contented horse. 

“ You seem to be fortunate, Miss Frankie, in win- 
ning the confidence of man and dumb animals. Where 
did you capture this beautiful little fawn?” 


TWICE LOYAL 


21 

“ Roy found him in a starving condition two months 
ago, just a few feet from your gate; he brought him 
over to me, and I fed him with milk from a spoon two 
weeks before he learned to drink in the proper way.” 

44 He bears a name, I suppose? ” 

44 Roy and I thought Lazarus appropriate, as he 
was found poor and hungry at the gate of a rich man.” 

44 Since his adoption he has certainly been nestling 
in the bosom of plenty,” said Mr. Neville, as he took 
the bridle from the chubby hands and sprang into 
the saddle. 

44 Oh, I almost forgot to show you this,” cried 
Frankie, taking from her white apron pocket an en- 
velope. 44 Uncle Thomas brought it to me yesterday 
from Caddie, and in it is something real nice about 
you.” And the little chatterbox clapped her hands, a 
sparkling light in her black eyes. 

44 Having excited my curiosity, will you not tell me 
what this 4 real nice something ’ is, little gypsy 
maiden ? ” 

44 Really, I don’t think Caddie would wish me to tell 
you, Mr. Neville; but I can’t see the impropriety. It 
is this, — that you are the very handsomest gentleman 
she ever saw.” 

44 A statement, I dare say, that she will readily re- 
call after a more critical and mature observation. 
From a personal experience, Frankie, I find grown up 
people see things in a different light from that granted 
to the youthful.” 

44 It may be, but I overheard Miss Gibbs tell Aunt 
Elizabeth that you were the finest looking and most 


TWICE LOYAL 


22 

intelligent gentleman she ever met, and I am sure she 
is grown up.” 

“ Your governess is no doubt excusable for this ex- 
traordinary declaration, as her life has been a very 
secluded one.” Then leaning over, he grasped the 
hand of the child and said : “ I hope you and I will 

be the best of friends, Frankie.” With which parting 
words he galloped down the avenue. 

Left alone, the girl watched Robert Neville until the 
distance lost him to her sight. 


CHAPTER V 


A very great surprise it was to the community when 
it became known that Mr. Neville would enter the legal 
profession. That the rich young master of Neville 
Hall would settle down to the practise of law was cer- 
tainly a conjecture to many, and when Mrs. Vinton, 
his father’s only sister, came from Virginia to preside 
over his establishment, a great wave of relief swept 
the minds of certain indisputably popular belles among 
the 61ite, it having been the general supposition that 
should the master of Neville Hall return, he would bring 
with him a bride to reign as mistress over his ancestral 
home. 

Time passed, days merged into weeks; each morning 
could be seen the splendid figure of Robert Neville, 
mounted on his favorite horse, riding into the city, to 
again return as the evening approached. He applied 
himself diligently to his profession, daily gaining knowl- 
edge from his senior partner, whose superior ability as 
a lawyer was recognized throughout the State. 

It was just prior to the assembling of the Novem- 
ber court that Judge Hunter was called to defend a 
criminal case of note. Realizing in this an opportunity 
to test the powers of his young partner, he requested 
him to argue the case in his stead, whereupon Mr. 
Neville declared that, as he had never spoken before 
23 


TWICE LOYAL 


a jury, he very much doubted his ability to do the case 
justice. 

It was due, however, to the firm, persuasive powers 
of his partner, that the young lawyer distinguished 
himself as an orator a week later. 

On the morning of the trial the court house was 
packed with people. Seated on the speakers’ stand 
with other members of the bar was Judge Hunter. He 
knew that Robert Neville could speak, having heard 
him declaim some years before at Harvard College. 

The case called, it was opened by the state’s attor- 
ney, who made a strong, clear argument against the 
criminal. He spoke for an hour, then took his seat 
with an air of assurance that he made a great speech 
in defense of the State, and expected little from his 
youthful opponent. 

When Mr. Neville arose, all eyes were turned in his 
direction. Calm, self-assertive, he stood there, his bril- 
liant eyes sweeping the court room. When he began 
to speak it was noticeable that his hearers were cap- 
tivated by his eloquence, and his pathetic appeal to 
the jury won for him the case, and a man was saved 
from the gallows who no doubt deserved the severest 
penalty of the law. His popularity soon spread over 
the State. The following spring he was out in the race 
for Congress. 

His opponent being a popular man, — one who had 
served several terms in the House of Representatives, 
Robert Neville had little hope of securing the nomina- 
tion. Judge Hunter, being considered one of the best 
posted men in that section on political questions, used 


TWICE LOYAL 


25 


his influence in behalf of his partner, — an influence 
that was certain to be felt in the closely contested race. 

Mr. Neville’s popularity was not solely confined to 
the political field, he was also an acknowledged lion 
in the social arena, where every art of the matrimoni- 
ally inclined of upper-tendom was brought to bear on 
the brilliant young leader, who had hitherto proved 
himself immune to any feminine witchery, while his 
polite chivalry was universally distributed ; his dis- 
couragement of any sentimental preference being 
marked. 

The city of M , being the State capital, was a 

focus of social life. Governor Lipscombe, the people’s 
representative of the commonwealth, lived here in state 
with his family, — a wife and daughter. 

It was an afternoon in April, the woods were spicy 
wdth the fragrance of bloom. From either side of the 
road dogwood, with its white star-shaped flower, and 
heavily laden vines of pink and yellow honeysuckle 
greeted the eye wherever it might rest. 

Robert Neville, riding slowly along the shaded road 
that led to Neville Hall, observed a carriage drawn 
by a pair of white horses coming slowly through the 
heavy sand-bog. As he drew near, he recognized the 
occupants as the wife and daughter of Governor Lips- 
combe. 

Commanding the negro driver to stop, Miss Virginia 
Lipscombe exclaimed: 

“ 0 Mr. Neville, we were so disappointed in not find- 
ing you at home. Judge Hunter informed us that you 
had not been in the city to-day, but that you possibly 


26 


TWICE LOYAL 


might be at Neville Hall; so we immediately planned 
this trip, thinking to catch the lion in his den and at 
the same time to make a social call on your aunt.” 

44 Your beautiful home, Mr. Neville, I fear has a 
tendency for making something of a recluse of you,” 
said Mrs. Lipscombe, looking fondly at her daughter. 

44 Father expected you at our reception last night, — 
an occasion you would certainly have honored with 
your presence.” 

44 Do you know, Mr. Neville, that you are inclined to 
neglect your friends shamefully, sir,” added Miss Vir- 
ginia, with flashing eyes. 

44 Your pardon, Miss Lipscombe ; my absence was 
due to circumstances which I could not well avert.” 

44 You are a busy man, I know. A candidate for 
office cannot afford to be a laggard; you are sure to 
win in the race with Judge Hunter to steer you. 
Father would never have been governor, had not Judge 
Hunter been staunch in his friendship. He is the ac- 
knowledged political leader of the State,” said Miss 
Lipscombe. 

Just then the clatter of hoofs on the hard gravel 
caused Mr. Neville to turn. A horse came galloping 
around the curve. The rider was Frankie Carey. The 
straw hat, tied with strings of red ribbon, had slipped 
from her head and was hanging almost at her waist- 
line, while her long curls floated in the breeze. The 
bridle thrown across the pommel of the saddle evidently 
had not been used by the fearless girl, who was seem- 
ingly as much at home on the bare back of a horse as 
was the most daring cowboy of the western plains. 


TWICE LOYAL 


n 


Apparently seeing nobody but Mr. Neville, the girl 
took from the pocket of her pink muslin dress an en- 
velope, and holding it up, said excitedly, 

“ I got this to-day from Caddie and brought it right 
over for you to read, Mr. Robert. Just think, — she 
will graduate in June as valedictorian ! My, but she 
is smart ! Think of a little body like Caddie leading a 
class of twenty straight-laced girls, most of them, I 
reckon, being Yankees too.” 

“ Your cousin, I see, has a most loyal champion in 
you, Miss Carey,” said Mrs. Lipscombe. 

“ Caddie has no equal in intellect and beauty in my 
estimation,” flashed back the girl. 

“ It is growing late, mother dear, we must be driving 
homeward,” broke in the governor’s daughter. Frank- 
ie’s assertion regarding her cousin evidently had not 
pleased Virginia Lipscombe, whose egotism concern- 
ing herself, her wit, and her beauty was very evident. 
It was no secret that she had used every art of witch- 
ery to ensnare the master of Neville Hall, and when 
the coachman had started up the horses, she smilingly 
turned and said, 

“ Should you come in to the opera to-night, Mr. 
Neville, we will be delighted to see you in our 
box.” 

Frankie and Mr. Neville had become fast friends; 
the girl knowing that she would always find an eager, 
sympathetic listener in him when extolling the perfec- 
tions of Catherine. She had also succeeded in enlist- 
ing his sympathy in favor of Roy Banes. 

“ Mr. Neville, have you had an opportunity to talk 


28 


TWICE LOYAL 


with Mr. Banes about Roy? ” asked Frankie con- 
cernedly. 

“ Not yet, little girl,” he answered. 

“ Well,” — the girl looked archly at her companion 
as they rode side by side — “ I am sure you can per- 
suade him to let Roy enter the academy this fall. You 
know you promised me.” 

u My promise to you, Frankie, will be held most 
sacred, and as it is now at least three hours before the 
sun will set, I suggest that we ride over and talk to 
Mr. Banes regarding this matter.” 

“ Oh, but Roy will be fairly beside himself when he 
sees us coming! I told him yesterday of your inten- 
tions ; and if you gain his father’s consent, he will be 
the happiest boy in the world.” 

Robert Neville and Frankie had turned their horses 
in the direction of the Baneg’ Mill and were cantering 
along, seemingly oblivious of all save themselves, Roy 
Banes, and the wildwood beauty that greeted them from 
all sides. Leaving the main road, they turned into a 
bridle-path that bordered the margin of the deep stream 
that supplied the water that flowed over the dam just 
above the old mill. No sound broke the stillness except 
the clatter of the huge revolving wheel beyond. Stop- 
ping beneath a venerable cypress tree and tying their 
horses, Frankie and Mr. Neville proceeded in the di- 
rection of the mill. Overtaking a mother goose that 
was convoying her brood to the pond for an evening 
bath, Frankie, in her effort to capture a snowy duck- 
ling, tripped and fell with a faint cry into a rivulet 
that flowed into the larger stream. The cry brought 


TWICE LOYAL 


29 


Mr. Banes and Roy from the mill to the open door, 
and they were soon on the spot where stood the drip- 
ping girl whom Mr. Neville had already rescued. 
Frankie was immediately conducted by Roy to the 
Baynes cottage, which nestled behind a clump of trees 
a short distance from the mill. 

Left alone with the miller, Mr. Neville endeavored 
to explain the object of his visit. The two were walk- 
ing slowly in the direction of the mill, which was al- 
most surrounded by horses and mules, on the backs of 
each of which was a negro astride either a sack of 
corn, waiting to be ground, or a sack of meal, that 
had just come from the hopper. 

44 I’d clar, suh, if I ketch on ter what yu air drivin’ 
at,” said the miller, abruptly stopping and catching 
nervously at a twig of an overhanging willow by the 
roadside. 

44 To be brief, Mr. Banes, my sympathies, — through 
Miss Carey, — having been aroused in behalf of your 
son, I am desirous of taking upon myself the responsi- 
bility of his future education, and, with your consent, 
will start the boy to the academy this fall, then, when 
he is ready for college, I will see that he gets through, 
without any expense to yourself.” 

44 It’s er mighty good offer you air makin’, Mr. 
Neville, an’ I reckon I ought’n refuse the boy such er 
fine opportunity, but how I’m ter git erlong without 
his help in the mill is a ticklish question, — yes, suh, a 
ticklish question.” 

44 1 think we can arrange the matter, Mr. Banes, by 
improvising a substitute for your son Roy. I’ll send 


30 


TWICE LOYAL 


you one of my brightest negro boys to take Roy’s 
place in the mill on grinding days.” 

“ I’ve never hed much patience with niggers, suh ; 
but if you want ter send one over, I’ll undertake ter 
break him in. Thar comes Roy now. It’s my opin- 
ion, suh, thet he knows somethin’s brewin’. Thet lit- 
tle Miss Carey has put a flea in his ear, I reckon.” 

Frankie, showing no signs of her recent wetting, 
emerged from behind a clump of trees that almost hid 
the house, and joined the boy when within a few yards 
of the spot where stood his father and Mr. Neville. 

“ Roy,” said Mr. Banes as the boy and girl came 
hesitatingly toward them, “ Mr. Neville here hez spoken 
to me erbout sendin’ you ter the academy this fall, 
an’ if yo turn out ter be er right smart chap, he’s 
a-thinkin’ of sendin’ you erway ter college when you air 
through at the academy, — thet is, if I can make up 
my mind ter spar you from the mill.” 

“O father, please let me go. I’m gittin’ mighty 
tired of the ole mill an’ everything erbout it. I do 
want ter know something erbout books.” 

“Wal, I reckon I’ll hev ter draw in my reins, an’ 
let you an’ Mr. Melville do the drivin’. The only way 
I can see out of the muss is ter say you can go, an’ 
when I’m past workin’ the ole mill we’ll hev ter be shut 
down. Thet ole wheel over thar, Mr. Neville, hez been 
playin’ with ther water in thet pond nigh onter forty 
years. This was the first grist mill in these parts. I 
remember hearin’ my father tell of a sort of con- 
trivance the planters used before grist mills wuz heard 
of hereabouts. It was called a mill-sweep, an’ the corn 


TWICE LOYAL 


SI 


was pounded inter meal by means of a pestle and mor- 
tar. I sware if I know how them planters ever man- 
aged ter git nuff meal ter feed thar niggers in them 
days of sweeps. Niggers, Mister Neville, ez a rule, ain’t 
worth thar grub. Thar’s er sample er settin’ astride 
thet mule thet’s tied ter thet little sycamore, jes at 
the right of the road. Thet nigger puts in three days 
of every week bringin’ two bushels of corn ter mill an’ 
takin’ it back groun’ inter meal. He puts in mos’ of 
his time sleepin’ an’ spittin’ out flies thet crawl inter 
his mouth ter roost on his tongue. Yes, suh; if I 
hed my way I’d rid the country of the black varmints 
ez quick ez I would rattlesnakes. The trouble is, Mr. 
Neville, they air sappin’ the life out of us po’ whites.” 

On and on he talked ; and the sun had dropped behind 
the distant hills ere Mr. Neville and Frankie found an 
opportunity to get away from the garrulous miller. 

The first of June found Judge and Mrs. Hunter, 
accompanied by Miss Gibbs, on their way to New York 
to attend the graduating exercises of the school from 
which Catherine would finish. From New York Miss 
Gibbs and Catherine were to sail to Europe; it being 
their intention to remain abroad until late autumn. 

Frankie Carey divided her time during her cousin’s 
absence between Mr. Neville and Roy Banes. It had 
been the intention of Judge and Mrs. Hunter to cross 
the water with their daughter, but the warmly con- 
tested Congressional race in the district had changed 
their plan. Realizing that his personal influence was 
a necessary factory in the campaign, Judge Hunter 
had returned to the field. It was a busy summer, and 


TWICE LOYAL 


32 

the seeds sown brought forth good results; for Mr. 
Neville was elected to Congress. 

At the beginning of the fall session Roy Banes en- 
tered the Academy at M . His presence in a school 

made up of the wealthier class caused no little amuse- 
ment at first, and many were the pranks played of 
which he was the victim. Bearing the indignities pa- 
tiently, Roy made no complaint, but applied himself 
diligently to his studies, and when, at the close of the 
examination the following spring Mr. Neville received 
the report for his scholarship, he was brought face 
to face with the fact that within the lowly may lie the 
germs of greatness, — that the hard pressure of want 
is often the parent that begets fertility. 


CHAPTER VI 


It was a bright morning in November; over the 
hills lay the peaceful hush and golden haze of Indian 
summer, while autumn’s magic touch had left upon 
the tree tops a gorgeous coloring of yellow and purple 
and crimson. 

Catherine Hunter had returned from Europe, and 
great preparations were now in progress at Myrwood, 
for the social event of the. season was to be the ball 
in honor of her debut. The morning sun, streaming 
through the windows of the generous kitchen, which 
stood a short distance from the big house, fell strongly 
on the red kerchief about the head of Mam Dilcy, who, 
with arms akimbo, stood giving directions to the un- 
fortunate servants under her supervision. The black 
tyrant was just in the act of boxing the ears of a half- 
grown negro girl whom she accused of eating two 
raisins to every one seeded and put into the yellow 
bowl, when Frankie Carey came bounding in and ex- 
claimed : 

“ O Glory ! Uncle Dick and Aunt Sarah are here, 
and the brick oven is roaring.” Whereupon the negro 
woman, with a toss of her head, disdainfully replied: 

“ ’Pears like nuthin’ of ’portance kin go on at dis 
place ’thout dem freed niggers am axed to precipitate.” 

Freed negroes in the South were considered on a 
33 


34 


TWICE LOYAL 


par with the poor whites by the favored few occupy- 
ing the trusted and enviable position as house servants. 
In introducing the freedraan Dick Hunter and his wife 
to our readers, a brief history of this worthy couple 
seems necessary. In the early fifties, Judge Hunter 
gave Dick his freedom and a patch of ground, as a 
reward for his devotion and bravery in saving the life 
of his little daughter, Catherine, at the risk of his own. 
By diligence and economy the freedman finally suc- 
ceeded in saving enough money to build a small house 
and to buy his wife, who belonged to an adjoining 
estate. Years passed, he had prospered to the extent 
that he was now the owner of two negro boys, who 
helped him to work his land. Having added several 
rooms to the original house, his modest home now pre- 
sented a cosy appearance. By his honest and upright 
mode of living he had gained the favor and respect of 
the better class of whites in the community; and he 
and his wife were frequent and always welcome visitors 
at Myrwood. In fact, no culinary function was com- 
plete in the home of his former master unless he pre- 
sided. Dick knew the exact temperature to which the 
brick oven must be heated to roast a “ turkey or pig?” 
while Aunt Sarah’s skill in arranging the tables was 
undisputed. 

It was Frankie Carey’s delight to torment Mam 
Dilcy. She knew that nothing irritated the old ne- 
gress more than to insinuate that another’s knowledge 
was superior to her own in the art of cooking, which 
was her boasted pride. 


TWICE LOYAL 


35 


Stepping out of the kitchen door, a merry twinkle 
in her black eyes, the mischievous minx called out: 

“ Uncle Dick, — O Uncle Dick ! ” 

“ Yes, Miss Frank,” came the answer from a shed 
that covered the great brick oven. 

“ Mammy Dilcy wants you to help stuff the turkeys,” 
she shouted. 

“ Shet up you mouf, yer young wild-cat. Clar out 
dis minit, and tell dat Dick Hunter ter stay whar he 
b’longs, foah jes as shuah ez he cum in dis heah 
kitchen foolin’ roun’ dis chile, he gwine git his haid 
cracked. Tendin’ de brick oben’s his bizness, an’ when 
dese turkies am all ready fur roastin’, dey’s gwine be 
d’livered inter his hans an’ not til den: dus you heah? ” 

But Frankie’s attention was directed elsewhere by 
the time the negress had finished her tirade. A small 
darkey of the masculine gender, becoming unduly ex- 
cited over the approaching event, had climbed to the 
top of a tall Yupon tree near by, thinking to procure 
from his elevated position a glimpse at least of the good 
things now being prepared in the wonderful kitchen. 
Whiffing the spicy odors that came from the open door 
the youngster did not scent the danger that awaited 
him. 

Frankie ever alert, recognized in the unsuspecting 
pickaninny a new victim for her pranks. Clearing the 
space at a bound, she stationed herself beneath the 
tree, shaking it vigorously. A succession of yells, en- 
sued, ending with a despairing wail of “ Oh, Lawdy ! ” 
executed in the doleful minor descending. 


TWICE LOYAL 


Mrs. Hunter, joined by Mam Dilcy, rushed to the 
rescue and began remonstrating with the girl, who 
immediately scaled the tree with the nimbleness of a 
graceful squirrel. Grasping the terrified boy by his 
wool, she pulled him from his perch, and swinging her- 
self around, she slowly descended until within a few feet 
of the ground, when she swung the helpless youth back 
and forth in time tp the plaintive music of his yells, 
then let him drop, a shivering heap, at the feet of Dilcy. 

44 Frankie,” said Mrs. Hunter, 44 will you ever cease 
your madcap pranks, and be other than a tomboy ? ” 

“ Oh, I reckon, — when I become a full fledged young 
lady, and make my debut as Cousin Caddie will to- 
night.” 

44 ’Tain’t no use talkin’ to her, Miss Lisbeth,” said 
Dilcy, 44 kase she’s neber gwine settle down nohow to 
bein’ a girl. De chile am shoahly marked, an’ hit all 
cums from her poah maw grebin’ so ’cause Miss Frank 
wus bawn er girl, instid ob er boy. No ’oman’s any 
bizness ter senshure de Lawd fur gibin’ her a female 
stid ob a male chile; ob course Miss Frank’s er girl, 
but she’s gwine alius hanker arter bein’ a boy. Ain’ 
yu’, honey ? ” 

But before any answer could come, a crash from 
the kitchen caused the hasty retreat of the old negress. 
Mrs. Hunter returned to the house. 

A strutting peacock now received the attention of 
Frankie. The king of the barnyard was chased over 
the fence minus several feathers from his brilliant 
plumage, as he walked dejectedly away. A whistling 
note, and the girl ran past the kitchen door, out through 


TWICE LOYAL 


37 


the back gate to greet a pale-faced youth of perhaps 
thirteen years of age. 

44 Frankie, I brought these chestnuts to you, ain’t 
they beauties ? ” 

44 O Roy, how kind of you to think of me ! You are 
getting along with your studies nicely at the academy ? ” 

44 1 am at the head of my classes,” he replied, thrust- 
ing his hands into his trousers pockets. 

44 You know Caddie is going to make her debut to- 
night, and I have been so flustered that I really almost 
forgot that you were coming over to-day.” 

44 1 give it up, Frankie, but I reckon I’m hardly far 
enough along to know what that word you call dabu 
means.” 

44 Well, it is this: You know a girl is a sort of 
caterpillar until she reaches a certain age, when she 
is supposed to be transformed into a butterfly young 
lady, ready to receive matrimonial offers.” 

The enlightenment of Roy might have gone further 
but, some one calling the girl, the explanation was 
stopped. Frankie bade her playmate good-by, and 
was soon confronted by Dilcy. 

44 1 knows moughty well what yu’s bin doin’, Miss 
Frank: yu’s bin talkin’ to dat tallow-faced clay-eater 
dat comes a-sneaken roun’ heah to feast his eyes on 
quality. De poah white trash.” 

44 Roy Banes is not a clay-eater, Mam Dilcy ; neither 
is he trash, if his father is a poor man,” flashed back 
the girl. 

44 Well, I’se shuah dat he’s no equal ob yo’s, chile, an’ 
I wouldn’t play wif a boy dat I wuz ’shamed ob.” 


38 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ Indeed, I am not ashamed of Roy. If he would 
accept an invitation I would invite him to Caddie’s 
party to-night, and he would be my partner in the first 
dance. Mr. Neville is educating Roy, and he told me 
the other day that there was not a smarter boy in the 
county. Roy Banes may own as many negroes as 
Mr. Neville some day. So, now ! ” 


CHAPTER VII 


The sun, like a great red ball, had dropped below 
the western horizon, mellowing the distant hills with 
dreamy infiniteness. The guests had begun to arrive 
from the city and adjoining counties, some in carriages, 
some in buggies, and some horseback. The light 
streaming out through the windows of the great house 
beckoned a welcome. The Hunters were noted for their 
hospitality, and this party in honor of their daughter 
promised to be an occasion memorable in that neighbor- 
hood. Fires blazed and crackled in the great fireplaces. 
The polished brass fenders reflected the light that 
tried, as it were, to eclipse the crystal chandelier over- 
head. Near the center of the room stood Judge 
Hunter, his wife, and daughter. Catherine looked 
very lovely in a gown of white tulle, w T ith pearls on her 
neck and arms, and her golden curls caught loosely 
back w r ith a pearl brooch. 

The arrival of Congressman Neville caused some 
commotion near the doorway, and all eyes were turned 
upon the magnificent form of the handsome man just 
entering the room, escorting Miss Virginia Lipscombe, 
who wore a gown of pink satin and lace. Frankie 
Carey’s olive beauty was ablaze in a costume of red 
tarletan, corals, and red morocco slippers. An un- 
disguised look of indignation was on her face as she 
39 


40 


TWICE LOYAL 


followed in the wake of the couple. Evidently some- 
thing had gone wrong with the high-spirited girl. 
Robert Neville, having been called away to look after 
business matters, had not had an opportunity of meet- 
ing Miss Hunter since her return from Europe, and 
to-night he looked upon her for the first time since 
the day on which she had gone away to school, more 
than a year before. Approaching her, he stood there 
but a moment to realize that the golden-haired, brown- 
eyed girl of that day had lost none of her childlike 
witchery. Yet he could not help but notice that the 
marvelous beauty of the schoolgirl of sixteen, which 
had impressed him many months before, had very much 
ripened, both as to form and features. 

Oblivious as to his surroundings, seeing no one but 
the fairy -like creature before him, he was not aware 
that Frankie Carey was at his side, until she poutingly 
said: 

“ Mr. Neville, my heart was so set on presenting 
you to Cousin Caddie, and you know you promised me 
this morning when I met you in town that I might have 
the honor. To-night I waited and waited in the hall, 
to have my hopes shattered by Miss Lipscombe, who 
proved herself quite an adept in capturing you for an 
escort. I saw the angling with my very eyes.” 

This outburst of the enfant terrible called for imme- 
diate tactful treatment. 

' “ Miss Lipscombe,” put in Judge Hunter gallantly, 
“ my niece is very sensitive when her childish claims on 
Mr. Neville are usurped by the greater charms of 
another.” 


TWICE LOYAL 


41 


Fortunately, however, for the mortified belle, Robert 
Neville came to the rescue, and the indignant miss was 
spirited away by him ere she could deliver a final shot 
at the object of her displeasure, greatly to the relief 
of the embarrassed group. 

Among the guests that thronged the rooms none was 
more conspicuous than the stately form of Miss Gibbs, 
escorted by her brother Ethan, whose shambling ef- 
forts to keep in step with his sister was certainly pro- 
vokingly amusing. 

A perceptible limp, caused by one of the legs being 
at least two inches shorter than the other, was all the 
more noticeable for the reason that, in selecting his 
evening suit, no allowance had been made in the legs 
of the trousers, which were of uniform length; conse- 
quently, when walking, Mr. Gibbs was compelled to 
keep a firm hold on the surplus length of the trouser 
leg that draped the short limb. Frankie Carey’s an- 
tagonism vanished, and she became convulsed with 
laughter at the grotesque appearance of Ethan, whom 
they accidentally met in the promenade. 

“ Mr. Gibbs, shall I have a nigger summoned to aid 
you in the support of your trouser train ? ” drawled the 
tantalizing girl. Evidently displeased at the remark, 
which attracted undue attention to the appearance of 
her ungainly brother, the governess was not slow to 
reprimand her pupil’s lack of politeness. Just then 
the strains of a waltz floating through the rooms of- 
fered an excuse for Mr. Neville to withdraw from the 
scene. Telling Frankie that he must secure her fair 
cousin for the first waltz, he hastened to the side of 


42 


TWICE LOYAL 


Catherine. Soon the splendid figure of Robert Neville 
supporting his lovely partner was conspicuous among 
the whirling dancers. Once, as if drawn by some mag- 
netic force, Catherine lifted her eyes to catch the look 
of indescribable tenderness beaming from the dark eyes 
of her companion. She almost lost control of her 
feet. 

“You are tired, Miss Catherine.” And Mr. Neville 
led her to her seat, where they were soon joined by a 
young naval officer from Charleston, who claimed the 
hand of the girlish belle for the next quadrille. 

Judge Hunter’s home had been famous for a number 
of years as a rendezvous for political bodies, both local 
and national. Although refusing repeated calls to ac- 
cept nominations to public office for himself, the brainy 
lawyer’s advice had been sought by those who had 
aspirations in that direction. It was at Myrwood that 
Southern hospitality had been enjoyed by the leading 
men of the day, and to-night men distinguished in poli- 
tics honored the occasion with their presence. Cathe- 
rine Hunter, caring little for dancing, stole softly from 
the parlor unperceived; crossing the hall, she was in 
the act of entering the open door of the library, when 
she stopped. An animated argument was in progress 
between Doctor Jordon, the family physician, and Gov- 
ernor Lipscombe, who in excited voice was trying to 
convince the doctor that his pet theory of Federal unity 
predominating over States Rights was a mere fallacy. 

“No! sir; the Southern States do not propose to be 
submissively lashed to the towering masthead of the 
Federal sailor. If we recognize the Constitution, we 


TWICE LOYAL 


43 


must admit the sovereign right of each State.” The 
Governor was speaking on his favorite topic. 

66 Dumbfound these rights that you people are eter- 
nally croaking about! State sovereignty, Governor, 
is a chimera pf the brain with some. Are we to remain 
forever inert and be ruled by a literal rendering of 
the Constitution, or shall we move forward to meet the 
necessary demands of a growing nation? God has 
given us the area and resources, and we must expand. 
I very much believe that the American people of to-day 
are just as capable of revising the old document, which 
should be elastic enough to embrace all forms of prog- 
ress, as were the Revolutionary Fathers who formu- 
lated it. Every gentleman here to-night must admit 
that the people of the South are allowing themselves 
to become sidetracked. The North is moving rapidly 
ahead. Her laboring classes are enabled to procure 
an education, while our poor whites are condemned to 
a life of illiteracy. A sad condition of affairs. Greece 
and Rome, you know, sir, were brought low by the 
inherent error of a corrupt system, so I fear that our 
Southern States must fall under the curse of slavery.” 

The doctor, having relieved himself, wiped the evi- 
dences of his heat from the top of his bald head. 

“ There ! there ! Edwin, you have finally touched the 
key-note that the descendants of Puritanism have been 
sounding for the past quarter of a century. If you 
were not my cousin and a native of Georgia I would 
brand you an abolitionist of the darkest dye. Me- 
thinks you would make a capital leader for those con- 
science-stricken ‘ moss-backs ’ whose ancestors, because 


44 


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of their inability to make them profitable, sold their 
slaves to our Southern planters. Their daily phari- 
saical thanks being : ‘ I thank thee O Lord, that Thou 
hast washed me clean of the sins of human slavery.’ 
Our property is now threatened, the North is making 
great strides toward her coveted ambition, which is to 
control our Congress at Washington. Should she suc- 
ceed, the Southern States will be forced to secede.” 

Catherine Hunter, becoming conscious that her pres- 
ence had attracted the notice of several of the gentle- 
men, crossed the room and took her place at her father’s 
side. 

Governor Lipscombe arose from his chair saying: 

“ Miss Hunter, your presence is most timely. We 
deserve severe chastisement at your hands, and I beg 
that you may allow me, in behalf of every gentleman 
present, to apologize for any lack of chivalry on our 
part. We were summoned here this evening to honor 
one of the South’s fairest daughters, and not to indulge 
in political debate.” 

“ My daughter, Governor Lipscombe, is as much in- 
terested in the problems that now confront the country 
as the staunchest partisan among us. A political argu- 
ment is preferable to her at any time to a Virginia 
reel,” said Judge Hunter, placing his hand tenderly on 
the sunny head of the girl at his side. 

“ Miss Hunter, we were discussing the possible dark 
future of the South should we be unfortunate enough 
to lose our control at Washington, and the abolition 
agitators be allowed to rule the country.” 

“ You will, no doubt, be surprised, Governor, to learn 


TWICE LOYAL 


45 


that my little daughter here strongly advocates the 
principles you deny. I could not please her more than 
to liberate from bondage every negro on my planta- 
tion.” Judge Hunter looked amused at the discon- 
certed smile on the face of his guest. 

“ A daughter of yours, — and of the South, — tar- 
nished with abolition principles, I cannot understand ! ” 
exclaimed Governor Lipscombe, looking at Judge Hun- 
ter. Then turning to Catherine, he continued : “ So 

it would please you, Miss Hunter, to see your father’s 
negroes freed? ” 

“ Yes ; provided there could be some provision made 
for colonizing and making them self-supporting.” 
Catherine spoke unhesitatingly. 

“ Colonize them and they would soon degenerate to 
the standard of barbarism from which they have been 
rescued. Their subordination to the white race, Miss 
Hunter, has been most merciful in comparison to their 
wretched condition in their own land, which is still 
groping in the impenetrable darkness of paganism, de- 
spite the Christianizing influence of the mission- 
ary.” 

“ The work of the missionary in Africa must remain 
discouraging, Governor Lipscombe, so long as the 
markets are kept open to slavery.” Catherine’s face 
had become slightly deeper in color, her eyes were spark- 
ling. 

“ From the fact of the negro having been under the 
moral and religious influence of the Anglo-Saxon for 
more than a century, American slavery, Miss Hunter, 
has been more efficient in the conversion of the African 


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than any system of missions that has yet been brought 
to bear upon a pagan race.” 

“ While I do not doubt the veracity of your state- 
ment, Governor Lipscombe, the American people, with 
their boasted love of liberty, should make a strenuous 
effort to remedy the evil that has so long tarnished this 
free republic.” 

“ Bravo, Miss Catherine ! ” 

The girl glanced toward the door, to see the tall 
form of Robert Neville standing in the doorway. Miss- 
ing Catherine he had crossed to the library, and hear- 
ing voices, had stopped on the threshold to listen to 
the animated debate between the young girl and his 
highness the Governor. 

“Come in, Mr. Neville; you are needed. Miss 
Hunter here has cornered the Governor in such a man- 
ner that it will require the skill of a lawyer to extricate 
him,” said Dr. Jordan, looking approvingly at Cathe- 
rine, whom he had petted and loved since the day he 
had placed her, a tiny babe, in the arms of the black 
nurse. The young congressman, crossing the room, 
stood smiling down into the sweet eyes that met his 
glance with fearless courage. 

“ I was not aware, Miss Catherine,” he said, “ of 
your debating powers, which no doubt is one of the 
finished accomplishments received from the school from 
which you graduated. Your pronounced views savor 
strongly of Northern training.” 

“ My views, Mr. Neville, have been subjected to no 
changes since their formation. From early childhood 
I have been vexed over the slavery question. To me it 


TWICE LOYAL 


47 


seems indeed wrong to traffic in souls and deny a people 
the right of freedom.” 

“ Caddie, where have you been hiding yourself for 
the past half-hour? You are certainly not a very po- 
lite hostess to run away from your guests. That 
lieutenant from Charleston has annoyed me so with 
questions regarding you that my head actually revolves 
like a top. Come, Mr. Neville, please escort this truant 
cousin of mine back to her post of duty. I’ll bet a 
picayune, Caddie, that you have been trying to convert 
these gentlemen to your way of thinking, but I daresay 
you have not succeeded in convincing them that an 
abolitionist is any better than a nigger.” 

Thus spoke Frankie Carey, who had burst into the 
room in quest of her cousin ; and so the debate came to 
an abrupt end. 


CHAPTER VIII 


Robert Neville, en route to Washington, sat by a 
window gazing listlessly out at the cold drizzling No- 
vember rain as it splashed against the pane. The 
huge engine, speeding northward through great 
stretches of pine forests and deserted cotton fields, was 
taking him at each revolution of its wheels farther 
from the object of his thoughts. The sweet face of 
Catherine Hunter rose before him, while with iterating 
force to his mind came her parting words : 

“I hope, Mr. Neville, to have the pleasure of hear- 
ing your speech in Congress. Father would not miss 
it for the world, and I am equally as enthusiastic.” 

This speech meant much to him. Then suddenly, 
with phantasmagorial subtleness the picture face of the 
girl faded from the sky of his vision, and another 
picture came loweringly before him. A dark cloud 
along the northern horizon was expanding threaten- 
ingly over the country. The speech which he would 
deliver in a few days would touch upon the issues now 
disturbing the minds of a united people. Every effort 
of his would be exerted to subdue the perturbed ele- 
ments which had displaced the harmony of the country. 

Arriving at the national capital, Robert Neville was 
soon launched upon the foaming waves of political dis- 
sension which promised to be more than ordinarily vio- 
48 


TWICE LOYAL 


49 


lent that winter of ’59 and ’60. Already the Southern 
members of the House had become unduly alarmed 
over the ominous and unlawful attack incited by an 
abolition fanatic, John Brown, — several weeks before, 
at Harper’s Ferry in the sovereign State of Virginia. 

The morning of the day that Robert Neville would 
deliver his speech found Judge Hunter and his daughter 
occupying seats in the members’ gallery of the House. 
“ Catherine, you were doubtless too young to remem- 
ber Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia. He took din- 
ner at Myrwood ten years ago and romped with you 
for an hour or more on the piazza. That is he at 
Robert’s right. He is a great man, and has been a 
power in the House of Representatives for a number 
of years.” 

“ Father, do you think Mr. Neville will do himself 
justice? I very certainly am anxious to hear him, 
having heard of his reputation as a speaker.” 

Catherine had apparently not heard a word that her 
father had said. 

“ I feel confident, my daughter, of his ability. He 
is not one to make a failure. Robert certainly is 
marked as being one of the rising young orators of our 
nation.” 

When Mr. Neville began to speak, Catherine could 
not explain just why, but there was a perceptible thrill 
of pleasure that passed through her being as she lis- 
tened. In fact, she forgot his outward appearance in 
her admiration of his intellect. 

Mr. Neville’s speech closed, he glanced in her direc- 
tion and their eyes met. She felt the blood surge to 


50 


TWICE LOYAL 


her face, and when he had joined them some minutes 
later, she congratulated him with a feeling of pride. 

Robert Neville had invited Judge Hunter and Cath- 
erine to occupy with him a box at the theater that 
night, and as he waited in the parlors of the hotel, re- 
splendent in evening dress, he was a figure that would 
have commanded admiration anywhere. 

The waiting, however, w r as not long, for Catherine 
Hunter joined him promptly; and very beautiful did 
she look in a gown of pale green silk and white lace. 
At her corsage was fastened some delicately tinted 
rosebuds, at which Mr. Neville looked with appreciation. 
He had sent them early in the evening. 

“ As your escort to-night, Miss Hunter, I am to be 
envied,” said he, looking proudly at the girl as she stood 
beneath the chandelier. 

“ I am not given to accepting direct compliments 
very graciously, sir, not even from a statesman.” 

“ If my memory is not at fault, I was the recipient of 
a very acceptable compliment this morning, soon after 
my speech was delivered in the House, from a young 
lady bearing a close resemblance to yourself. Am 
I to understand, Miss Catherine, that your conscience 
will permit you to give that which you will not re- 
ceive? ” 

The young congressman then led her out into the 
hall where Phyllis, Catherine’s colored maid, stood wait- 
ing with the wraps of her young mistress. Robert 
Neville, taking the white opera cloak from the hands 
of the colored woman, drew it carefully about the 
dainty form of the girl, and was in the act of placing 


TWICE LOYAL 


51 


the tiny turban-shaped hood on the golden head when 
she protested: 

“ O Mr. Neville, I am afraid you will spoil my coif- 
fure. No one knows quite so well as Phyllis here how 
to adjust that bit of fur and lace.” 

“ Deed da don’t, Miss Caddie, Marse Robert done al- 
reddy put yo awpera cloak on crooked. I’d liak ter 
know how he specs ter see strait wif one ob his eyes 
squar on yo face and t’other on dat cloak. Dar now; 
yo looks quite spectable,” said the woman, giving the 
finishing touch to the girl’s costume. 

Arriving at the theatre numerous opera glasses 
were turned upon the group as it entered the box of 
the southern congressman. Observing the attention 
that their arrival produced, Robert Neville experienced 
a feeling of conscious pride, that Catherine could bear 
the closest scrutiny of the most aesthetic critic in that 
vast audience, and not be found lacking. 

At a reception several evenings later Mr. Neville and 
Catherine were the unwilling listeners to scraps of con- 
versation passing from one to another of a group of 
young ladies. 

“ I think Congressman Neville the most fascinating 
speaker I have ever listened to, and so superbly hand- 
some ; but unfortunately, he has eyes only for that little 
Southern beauty, Miss Hunter. Have you met her, 
Isabel? She seems to be quite the rage and is said to 
be highly accomplished. Speaks several languages, is a 
fine musician, and father says she is well posted on 
politics. 

“ I don’t think then I care to meet Miss Hunter, for 


52 


TWICE LOYAL 


I am inclined to think as my grandmother Courtney 
does upon the propriety of the feminine politician. I 
have heard her say that a woman dabbling in politics 
reminded her very much of a moulting hen; that just 
as the hen was shorn of her feathers so would a woman 
politician be shorn of her womanliness. The affairs of 
the nation, she says, should rest on the shoulders of men 
and not be dragged into the nurseries of American 
homes.” 

“ Do you think it necessary, Miss Isabel, for a cul- 
tured woman to be less practical? It seems to me the 
woman who interests herself in the affairs of the nation 
is the woman who will exercise her versatility of talent 
in her home and nursery. Mother Goose will be dis- 
placed, and her love and intellect will originate its own 
infant melodies. Her country’s history and govern- 
ment will be familiar to her, and patriotism will be 
taught her boys,” interposed an elderly gentleman 
standing near the group. 

Mr. Neville and Catherine moved on, but not before 
he had marked the young girl’s annoyance. 

When seated in their carriage on the way back to 
their hotel, Catherine ruefully remarked: 

“ I am sorry, Mr. Neville, that in monopolizing so 
much of your time and attention I have thoughtlessly 
caused others to feel the sting of neglect. My selfish- 
ness, I presume, is due to the fact of my having been 
reared to think I possessed a sisterly claim upon you.” 

“ Please do not allow the gossip of a butterfly group 
to worry you, Miss Hunter. People here are not sup- 
posed to know of the existing intimacy of our respec- 


TWICE LOYAL 


tive families ; besides, it is a right of mine to place my 
attentions wherever I choose.” In his voice rang a 
tone of disappointment. 

Could it be that this girl, whom he worshipped as 
only a man of his temperament could worship, had no 
thought of him other than that which she would be- 
stow upon a brother. This sisterly regard that she 
claimed as her undisputed right, he could not under- 
stand. They had met each other less than a half dozen 
times since her childhood, and a claim based on the 
ties of family friendship had evidently decided his fate. 
The conversation was somewhat strained during the 
remainder of the drive; but when the carriage drew up 
before the hotel, Catherine, in nervous haste to alight, 
slipped and slightly sprained one of her ankles. A 
faint cry, caused by twinging pain, escaped her lips as 
she attempted to walk. 

“ Permit me to carry you,” said Mr. Neville. 

“ Oh, no ! I think with your assistance I shall be 
able to reach the parlor. Father will then help me to 
my apartments.” 

Another effort to step, and she leaned heavily against 
him ; by the gaslight he could see that she was very 
pale. 

“ Come, Catherine ; I see that I am forced to assert 
the brotherly right which you have to-night acknowl- 
edged.” 

So, taking her in his strong arms as if she were a 
child, he ascended the stone steps, passed through the 
hall into the brilliantly lighted parlor, and depos- 
ited his lovely burden upon the sofa. He could not 


54s 


TWICE LOYAL 


help noticing the drooping eyelids and heightened color 
of the girl’s face, and the sight caused his heart to 
quicken its pace. 

Judge Hunter was summoned and took charge of his 
daughter, whereupon Robert Neville bade his friends 
good-night, and retired to his room. 

A few days later Judge Hunter and his daughter 
returned home. 


CHAPTER IX 


With the eye of a prophet Judge Hunter’s clear 
vision pierced the future. He would sit for hours 
studying over the problems confronting the country. 
Night after night the light of the midnight candle 
streamed out from his library window, until the crow- 
ing of the cock would warn him of the lateness. 

He had long since perceived the approaching crisis, 
the extenuation of which seemed hopeless. War was 
inevitable. Being confident that any way of reconcili- 
ation was impossible, he declined the delegacy to the 
Charlestown convention, and his friends were perplexed. 
Governor Lipscombe, who was a hot-headed extremist, 
contended that he was just the man to represent the 
people and asked him to state his objections; where- 
upon Judge Hunter replied that he could not con- 
scientiously become a member of that distinguished 
body delegated by the people to choose a leader. For, 
in representing the people of the State, the views of the 
representative should accord perfectly with the people 
represented. He also added: 

“ My objections are based upon the belief that there 
will be a division in the ranks of the Democratic party 
at the approaching convention; that the salvation of 
the South depends upon the nominee of an undivided 
party; that any argument of mine put forth in favor 
55 


56 


TWICE LOYAL 


of the man of my choice, the only man who I think 
can save the nation, — the Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, 
would be fruitless in comparison to the almost unani- 
mous opinion of other members from our cotton states.” 

A memorable campaign it was that followed the ad- 
journment of the Thirty-sixth Congress, — a campaign 
of unprecedented fanaticism, demagogism, and diversi- 
fied opinions. 

To the Democratic party, hopelessly divided at the 
Charleston Convention, little was promised. Stephen 
A. Douglas, of national fame, was chosen to support 
the Northern wing of the party, while that portion ad- 
vocating views of the extreme South leaned on Breck- 
enridge as their staff of hope. The Republican party, 
which was increased by accessions from both the Whig 
and Democratic parties, named Abraham Lincoln of 
Illinois as their candidate. The country was now ef- 
fervescing with political excitement. Men were swayed 
more by passion than by calm judgment. The storms 
of war gathered thick and fast, the point of conflict 
had been reached. The momentous questions at issue 
were discussed in the drawing-rooms of the rich and the 
cabins of the poor. In the South the dark cloud, 
emancipation, hung menacingly over all. Robert Ne- 
ville’s wise and judicious statesmanship was brought to 
bear on his countrymen, trying to pacify instead of 
encouraging any dissatisfaction. With the stroke of 
an artist he vividly traced the horrors of war, which 
was destined, however, to burst a few months later over 
our republic. 

It was a long and heated contest; the summer and 


TWICE LOYAL 


57 


early autumn passed swiftly by; the election of Mr. 
Lincoln in November to the Presidency of the United 
States was a signal for the clash of conflict. 

Petty sectional issues developed into giant propor- 
tions, and the North and South were drawn face to face. 
Throughout the South the storms and clouds of winter 
gathered rapidly over the scene. Robert Neville, with 
direful foreboding, returned to Washington to await 
the final separation, which he was forced to believe 
would be inevitable; and when his State, in sympathy 
with other sovereign States, withdrew from the Union 
for the very reason that induced them to enter it, he 
in duty bound acknowledged his allegiance to his mother 
commonwealth and withdrew from the Congressional 
halls. 

Returning home, he found Judge Hunter very much 
depressed over the condition . of matters ; in fact, the 
jurist’s health seemed to be failing. 


CHAPTER X 


It was a cheerless day in February ; a slow rain was 
falling and freezing as it fell. From the long out- 
stretched limbs of the ancient pines, rising majestically 
over the undulating hills, icicles dangled. It was a 
storm typical of the antagonistic period. The sombre 
daylight was drawing to a close. Judge Hunter, who 
had been confined to his room for several days past, 
was dozing in his chair before a smoldering fire of resi- 
nous pine knots. 

Catherine, who had been reading to her father from a 
leading newspaper a full account of the inauguration 
of Jefferson Davis, which had taken place the day pre- 
vious, had stolen softly to the window, and stood look- 
ing out into the gathering darkness. All day long 
the girl had been striving to put away the thought of 
the possible separation from her father, who had been 
her idol and companion from childhood. Her gloomy 
forebodings were arrested by the clatter of horse’s 
hoofs, which stopped at the front gate. Though 
scarcely discernible, she saw the rider dismount and 
tie his horse. The man’s tall form was soon coming 
up the steps that led to the piazza ; and in a little while 
the great knocker echoed through the quiet house. 
Catherine started. She heard the hall door open, a 
flood of light streamed out, penetrating the deepening 
58 


TWICE LOYAL 


59 


gloom, the glittering ice pendants, like millions of sta- 
lactites catching the rays of light, scintillated with 
dazzling brilliancy for a second, then the gleam died 
as the heavy door closed. At the sound of footsteps 
coming up the stairs, Catherine left her position at the 
window and stood in the center of the room. 

A shambling noise coming toward her father’s bed- 
room, accompanied by regular footfalls, warned her of 
the approach of a visitor. The door swung open and 
Robert Neville was ushered in by Ezra. 

66 Good evening, Miss Catherine. I rode over to en- 
joy a social chat with your father.” Noting the ex- 
treme pallor of the girl’s face, he commented: “Why 
you look, Miss Hunter, as if you had been holding tryst 
with Hamlet’s ghost. Are you not well ? ” And tak- 
ing her little cold hand, he gazed tenderly down at the 
sad upturned face. 

Judge Hunter, now fully aroused from his nap, arose 
to greet his guest. 

“ Glad to see you, Robert. It certainly requires 
youth and courage to brave such a storm as this. 
Draw your chair up to the fire, boy. You must be 
thoroughly chilled. Ezra, throw on more lightwood, 
and we will soon have a fire here, the roaring flames of 
which will deaden the uncanny howling of the storm 
without. Catherine, please tell your mother that Mr. 
Neville will remain overnight at Myrwood. Ezra, have 
Mr. Neville’s horse properly groomed and stabled.” 

The girl left the room, followed by the old negro, who 
went grumbling down the stairs. Catherine could not 
repress a smile when he said: 


60 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ Miss Caddie, when I open’d dat doah dis ebenin, I 
spected ter see de debil standin dah ter grab me instid 
ob Marse Robert. Yas ’am I wuz moughty s’prised ter 
see a spectible gemmen out on sech a night ez dis. 
Ugh! jus heah dat wind howlin’; hits jes de night fur 
goblins ter walk.” 

“ There’s no such a thing as a ghost in existence, 
Ezra. Your race is superstitious.” 

“ Go ’long, honey ; yu cain mek me b’leve er spirit 
dat’s forced ter leab dis yarth is gwine settle down 
an nebber hab eny company. Hits jus sech er night 
ez dis dat he’s gwine cum forth fur er stroll an hev er 
jub’lee wif de demon ob storm.” 

A gust of wind from an open door extinguished the 
light in the hall, and the old negro grabbed hold of 
Catherine’s arm for protection. She led him trem- 
blingly to the library where her mother sat reading. 

Judge Hunter, realizing that he was not getting any 
better, but that the pain in his right lung only in- 
creased, had sent a negro boy with a note, before the 
storm broke, that morning to Neville Hall, requesting 
an interview with the master. Mr. Neville, being absent 
from home when the messenger arrived, had started for 
Myrwood immediately after he had returned home and 
partaken of a light supper, regardless of the increasing 
storm. 

“ I hardly expected you to-night, Robert ; but I am 
very glad you came. I sent for you, fearing my 
symptoms were growing worse; I wish to speak to you 
regarding some personal matters. You recall that 
your father and I were boys together; so I feel that 


TWICE LOYAL 


61 


of all others I can trust you with my affairs. I would 
that I might be spared to m}^ family and to my coun- 
try through the terrible siege that threatens us. I 
very much fear that a war, one of the bloodiest the 
world has ever known, will soon be upon us. With two 
Presidents on the American stage representing oppos- 
ing sections, we may expect a collision, the result of 
which will startle the country from center to circum- 
ference. Should the worst come the contest, though 
unequal, will be bitter. The South will make a desper- 
ate fight ; should she lose, you young men that survive 
the conflict will, no doubt, have very great problems to 
solve; though the fetters of Southern slavery may be 
loosened, it is my opinion that there will be a class 
among us whose chains, though less apparent, will nev- 
ertheless be more firmly clinched upon them, and our 
country subjected to the subserviency of a few. To 
such men as you, — there being but few in the South 
whose fortunes will suffer little from the loss of slaves 
and deserted fields, — will be offered vast opportunities 
to alleviate misery, which will stagnate the South. An- 
other matter of which I would like to speak is my fam- 
ily ; I want you to be a brother, as it were, to Catherine. 
She has unlimited faith in you; her views as you well 
know, being somewhat radical, she may be subjected to 
very severe criticism at this period of sectional distur- 
bances ; but I feel that you can help her in many 
ways.” 

“ Has it never occurred to you, Judge Hunter, that 
your daughter possessed my love?” 

“ I suspected nothing of the kind. How long, may 


62 


TWICE LOYAL 


I askj has this state of feeling been in existence be- 
tween you? ” 

44 Please do not misunderstand me, sir ; your daugh- 
ter has not been consulted. The love which I crave lies 
dormant. Catherine’s every thought, in fact her very 
being, is consumed w r ith the political upheaval about us. 
Judge Hunter, should your daughter fail to recipro- 
cate the love which is so entirely hers, I shall go through 
life unwedded. No other love can ever fill my heart.” 

44 How long since this important discovery, my 
boy? ” 

44 From the day she started north to a finishing 
school. I realized the fact that your little daughter 
had just begun her education in that most intricate art 
of piercing the hearts of unsuspecting bachelors. From 
that day I have been under the sway of her queenly 
scepter.” 

44 Robert, it would be a great satisfaction to know 
that my child might have such a protector through 
life.” And the sick man grasped the hand of his com- 
panion. 44 However, until you are confident that the 
stream of your love and devotion has revealed to her 
that priceless gem imbedded within every true woman’s 
heart, do not jeopardise your prospects. Patience 
will bring the reward that comes to the conqueror. 
Catherine in temperament and disposition is very much 
like her grandmother Hunter, who jilted my father 
three times before he gained her consent to marry him. 
She afterwards confessed that she had loved him from 
the first time they had met, but was determined he 
should not guess her secret until she had him thor- 


TWICE LOYAL 


63 


oughly disciplined. It was in the nature of man, she 
said, to prize that which was hard to win. 

“ If you give Catherine ample time, you may be saved 
the humiliation of being jilted not more than once, 
at least.” A smile relaxed the features of the sick 
man. 

64 1 am willing to serve for the girl I love even longer 
than did Jacob of old serve for Rachel.” 

The fire had burned low. Judge Hunter reached for 
a small silver bell on a stand at his side which he rang 
vigorously. It was but a few moments before Ezra 
came shambling into the room. 

44 Hit’s bout time dis fire war plenished ; dars only er 
few measly coals lef,” said the old negro, poking the 
smoldering embers. 44 1 ’specs yo two bin scussin’ pol- 
tics an’ clar furgot de fire. Mars Thomas know de 
doctor dun lef orders dat he mus keep warn.” 

44 The room is very comfortable,” said the master. 

44 Oh, yes ; if ’twas freezin’ yo two u’d keep it warn 
wif de flyin’ sparks ob pol’tics.” 

44 Hush, you black rascal, or I’ll have you so thor- 
oughly flogged that you’ll see sparks for a week.” 

44 Ugh ! I’se got yit ter see de fust niggah dat yo 
ebber ’lowed flog. No, sah; I haint furgot de time 
ole Bagley wus gwine whip dat lazy good-fur-nuthin’ 
Caleb fur runnin’ erway, an yu sent me to tell him dat 
if he dar put lash ter one ob yo niggahs dat yu’d hab 
a fox hunt at his expens an he gwine be de fox. No, 
Marse Thomas Hunter; I’se not a bit ’larmed ’bout er 
floggin’ ; but dat cof of yurn do make me mighty on- 
easy.” 


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“ Is Mr. Neville’s room ready?” asked his master 
by way of digression. 

Yes, sah, Miss Lizbeth dun tole me dat hit’s bout 
time yu wuz in bed.” 

Bidding his guest good-night, the judge told Ezra 
to show Mr. Neville to his room, and the two friends 
parted for the night. 

Judge Hunter’s symptoms became more alarming. 
Each day Dr. Jordon shook his head after examining 
his patient. Catherine w T as beside him almost contin- 
uously; and Robert Neville came every day from the 
Hall to take his place at the sick man’s bedside. The 
threatening aspect of the country seemed to be always 
before him. Just at the break of day one morning 
Robert Neville was summoned to Myrwood, where he 
found the family gathered about the bedside of the 
dying man. Catherine was prostrated with grief, 
while Frankie Carey, who was trying to pacify her 
cousin, looked as though she had cried until the flow 
of tears had been exhausted. 

Mrs. Hunter was beside her husband, his hand 
clasped in hers. Hearing a sob, Robert Neville glanced 
in the direction from which the sound came. Standing 
in the corner of the room, tears streaming down his 
black face, was Ezra. Mammy Dilcy, who stood just 
back of her mistress, was wiping the copious tear-drops 
from her eyes with the corner of her apron. On the 
opposite side of the bed were Dick Hunter and Dr. 
Jordon. 

The breathing of the sufferer became less percepti- 
ble. At last the great lawyer, the man of brain, who 


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had put forth every effort to harmonize the discordant 
elements of his State opened his eyes, a radiant smile 
overspread his face and the spirit of Judge Hunter 
passed beyond. Robert Neville led the stricken fam- 
ily from the room. 

Morning came, — bright, smiling day. The unusual 
storm that had swept the region a fortnight ago had 
left no traces. The trees were just beginning to show 
the first tints of green. All nature was jubilant with 
the dawning of that most beautiful season of the South, 
— early springtime. It seemed as if the birds were 
vying with each other in their outbursts of melody. In 
a distant field, lambs were skipping playfully over the 
dewy grass. The sky in the east had begun to redden. 
Mother earth in her daily revolution was hastening to 
greet Aurora. To the stricken hearts in that stately 
mansion, looming like a great monument from its bower 
of crepe myrtle, jasmine and roses, this exuberance of 
nature, life and beauty was only a mockery. 

Soon the blue smoke was curling upward from the 
kitchen, and the voice of Mam Dilcy could be heard 
giving the directions for breakfast. 

Work on the plantation would be abandoned to-day. 
The negro quarters were in mourning for a kind and 
beloved master. Their best friend had gone, and years 
after when the South had surrendered to her more pow- 
erful enemy, and seven millions of freedmen were thrown 
helplessly upon their own resources, in a famished land, 
the inhabitants of this dusky village had cause to re- 
member the noble man and master, who had watched 
over them as a shepherd cares for his flock. 


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Old and young were attired in their Sunday best. 
The pickaninnies, not realizing the ominous meaning of 
death, nor the solemnity of the occasion, and being in 
high glee over the unexpected holiday, would receive 
an occasional boxing accompanied by an awe-inspir- 
ing rebuke from some old mammy. 

Then came the pent-up grief of a venerable negro 
man, who in the early twenties had coaxed little Mars 
Thomas more than once from the arms of his black 
nurse and carried him to his own cabin, where hung the 
ever ready banjo, the thrumming of which always de- 
lighted the crowing youngster. The plantation had 
long ago passed into the hands of the baby when he had 
grown to manhood, years after ; and conscientiously 
had he performed his duty to the people that had come 
to him as a heritage. 

When the funeral was over and the remains of J udge 
Hunter had been laid to rest in the family burying 
ground, the mourners returned to the home now made 
desolate by the going-out of a noble life. 


CHAPTER XI 


The waves of dissatisfaction continued to rise higher 
and higher. All eyes were on Washington and the 
newly inaugurated helmsman that would guide the ship 
of state ; the commander who had so successfully 
steered the Republican party of the nineteenth cen- 
tury was silently, sorrowfully pacing the deck scan- 
ning the horizon of discontent. Far above the infuri- 
ated storm could be heard the kindly voice of assur- 
ance, trying to pacify a frantic people. But all warn- 
ing was unheeded. 

Fanatics of the North, elated over their recent tri- 
umph at the polls, refused to listen to any suggestion 
whereby a peaceful solution might be reached; while 
Southern leaders, stung by their defeat, rushed madly 
on, dragging State after State into the whirlpool of 
secession. Although there were those that understood 
the magnitude of the impending crisis, the concentrated 
power of unscrupulous party leaders was brought to 
bear upon the public mind whereby the masses were 
blinded to the dangers now facing the country. It was, 
indeed, a dark picture that the American people were 
facing; and when the news was flashed with electrical 
force, throughout the Union that the stars and stripes, 
which had waved so proudly over our once peaceful na- 
tion, had been recklessly shot to fragments, the last lin- 
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gering sparks of unionism went out, and thus with tre- 
mendous energy commenced a war, — one of the bloodi- 
est in the annals of history. 

The Southern spirit was fired, but there were those 
who looked gravely on ; excitement pervaded every city 
and hamlet throughout the land. 

There was no party distinction now. All were 
united by one common impulse, the protection of prop- 
erty and loyalty to their States ; for these they would 
take up arms against that portion of the Union which 
they firmly believed had departed from a national com- 
pact. And when the South was threatened with inva- 
sion, caste was forgotten ; the rich and the poor par- 
took of the banquet of war side by side. To the high- 
spirited women patriotism was a God-given inspiration ; 
and little will the rising generations ever know of the 
noble sacrifices made by the women for their beloved 
Southland in her struggle for independence, even 
though they could not share the dangers of the battle- 
field in her defense. Like the Spartan woman of old 
they bade their loved ones go forth and return not, 
unless graced with the “ laurel wreath of victory.” 

It was a glorious May day. The light lay softly 
upon the Southern hills ; the fragrance of flowers and 
the warbling of birds denoted peace and tranquillity. 
But the gay uniforms and the flashing steel of the 
troops out on parade was a reminder that soon all this 
springtime beauty would be changed for the turmoil of 
the camp, the rattle of musket, and the cannon’s roar. 

The city was pulsating with excitement, crowds were 
moving back and forth; on every street corner was a 


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group of patriotic boys surrounded by a mob of blacks, 
who were as loyal to their master and the South as the 
staunchest Republican was to the North and its aboli- 
tion principles. From the dome of the state building 
floated the badge of secession. Conspicuous among the 
many vehicles that hugged the white curbstones was the 
carriage from Myrwood, its occupants being Mrs. Hun- 
ter, her daughter, and niece. On the face of Cath- 
erine, seated by her mother, was a look of unutterable 
sadness. Down the wide street came the prancing 
horses, the noise of their hoofs softened by the music 
of a brass band. In front of the cavalcade, his fine 
form erect in saddle, rode Robert Neville, who by his 
universal popularity, and generous distribution of 
money toward equipping companies, had been chosen 
colonel of the first regiment from his State. As he 
passed the applauding crowds, he tipped his plumed 
hat, and a sparkling light showed in his large, luminous 
eyes as they met the sorrowful gaze of the beautiful 
girl he loved. 

As he came abreast of the Hunter carriage, Frankie 
Carey drew from beneath the seat occupied by her, a 
white silk parasol, from which, when hoisted, floated 
yards of red and white ribbon, — “ Confederate col- 
ors ” ; and as he did this she shouted lustily : 

“ Hurrah! for Colonel Robert Neville and the South- 
ern Confederacy ! ” 

“ Frankie, do sit down, please ; you are attracting 
more attention than the troops,” said Mrs. Hunter re- 
provingly. “ Why will you let your enthusiasm get 
the better of you?” 


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44 Because, Aunt Elizabeth, enthusiasm suits me bet- 
ter than the funeral gloom which covers the face of 
Cousin Caddie this morning of mornings when every 
true Southern girl should be glowing with pride.” 

Whereupon, the little miss settled herself in a cush- 
ioned seat, not to remain there, however, any great 
length of time. On and on came the gallant volun- 
teers ; an approaching band playing a Southern air 
threw the high-strung girl once more into an uncon- 
trollable state of excitement ; again the white parasol 
with its streaming colors caught the breeze, and Frankie 
Carey was heard to exclaim: 

44 Oh, but won’t we whip the Yankees ! How I wish 
that I might ride one of those chargers into battle ! ” 
A speech that caused uproarious laughter from the 
crowd standing near by. 

44 Frankie, if you can’t behave more like a young 
lady, I shall certainly give orders to the coachman to 
drive us home at once,” and Mrs. Hunter looked very 
much mortified. 

44 Oh, shucks ! I can’t see why a girl must sit so 
demure when she is just brimming over with patri- 
otism.” The offending parasol was closed with a snap, 
and the high-spirited child lapsed into silence, while 
the troops marched past. 

The time had arrived when Colonel Neville’s regi- 
ment must join the brigade. The evening before start- 
ing he rode over to Myrwood to bid his friends good- 
bye. Catherine Hunter, standing on the piazza, saw 
him coming up the avenue; her heartbeats quickened 
as he crossed the flowered terrace, came up the steps 


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and stood before her clad in his brave uniform of gray. 

“ Catherine,” he said simply, “ I have received or- 
ders to march. My regiment will leave to-morrow.” 

Though inwardly struggling against the pain that 
this announcement caused her, Catherine kept a cool 
exterior, and looking up into the noble face of the 
man who would fight against the flag that had pro- 
tected the nation since its birth, she asked: 

“ Mr. Neville, do you think the cause worth the sac- 
rifice ? ” 

“ If a people at war, Miss Catherine, had stopped to 
measure blood, or count the cost, there would have been 
no victories to mark the period of human advancement 
from the ancient village of Marathon to the British 
Isles ; there would have been no Modern Europe, and 
the star of liberty had never arisen in America.” 

“ I know. But what can the South expect to gain 
in a contest so unequal? Why, the entire white popu- 
lation of the seceding States is less than that of New 
York,” she replied. 

“ Victory depends not so much upon force as con- 
centrated daring and strategy,” answered he. 

“ There is where the South is in error. Her fight- 
ing strength is overestimated, and I fear she will come 
out of this fratricidal strife a weaker but wiser people.” 

“ Come, little girl, sing to me my favorite aria, and 
forget your gloomy forebodings,” said the young officer, 
escorting her to the parlor. 

Catherine seated herself at the piano, and soon the 
liquid purity of her flutelike tones filled the room. She 
sang Von Weber’s beautiful aria from 46 Der Frei- 


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schutz ” as she had never sung before, and Robert Ne- 
ville, standing near an open window, did not let his 
eyes wander from the face of the singer. He would 
carry with him always the picture she made as she sat 
there with the rays of the departing sun enveloping 
the fairylike form, while the silken hair, catching the 
darting light, gleamed like threads of gold. She 
looked in her mourning robe like a piece of statuary, 
so pure was the ivory whiteness of her complexion. 
The song finished, she arose and came toward him. 
As she raised her face in childlike innocence, he noted 
tear-drops in her eyes. Placing his hand reverently 
upon her head, he said : 

44 Does my going mean anything to you, Catherine ? ” 

44 Certainly, Colonel Neville, it grieves me sorely to 
know that our men of the South have taken up arms 
against the Union.” Her clear eyes, looking into his, 
confirmed the fact that she had no suspicion of his love. 

Taking the little white hands tenderly, he said: 

44 Think of me not as a traitor, Catherine, but as one 
who goes forth to battle for his State and its noble 
womanhood.” 

A little later, and Robert Neville had bidden farewell 
to the girl who had taught him to love. 

Frankie Carey’s request before parting with Mr. 
Neville was, that he be sure to send her a brass button 
from the uniform of every Yankee officer captured by 
him, adding, 44 1 will frame the picture you had taken 
for me last week in your new uniform with the souve- 
nirs.” 

44 1 fear the glamor of the frame might detract from 


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73 


the picture, Frankie,” he replied, going down the steps. 

Triumphant were the faces of those patriotic men as 
they rode out of the city the following morning, led 
by their young colonel. They were going to war with 
as much unconscious pleasure, seemingly, as if they had 
been expecting to witness some novel and splendid 
drama. 

Along the ranks rang the shout for the Southern 
Confederacy and its President. 

It certainly was an inspiring sight ; that long line of 
mounted men with their glittering bayonets, and the 
artillery starting on their long march. Over sand-bed 
roads, across eddying branches, through dense pine 
woods, they went ; and as the shades of night drew on,, 
they bivouacked under the screen of the primeval for- 
ests, with the blue sky above them. 


CHAPTER XII 


The evening of the day that the troops left the city 
Catherine Hunter sat on the broad piazza, her face 
buried in her hands. Mrs. Hunter, unobserved, stood 
in the moonlight somewhat in the shadow of a marble 
colonnade. There was in the noble face of the South- 
ern woman standing in her flowing robes of somber 
black a look of sadness. Presently, on hearing a gen- 
tle sob, she crossed over to where the young girl sat. 

“ What troubles you, my dear ? ” she murmured 
softly, bending forward and stroking the wavy hair. 

Looking up into the sweet face, Catherine said: 

“ O, mother, I am so unhappy. I wish there had 
never been such a thing as war. To me it is barbar- 
ism ! ” She shuddered as if stricken with a chill. 

“ I think you are nervous, my child.” 

Catherine shook her head while her face was pale 
with emotion. 

“ You must not allow yourself to feel so deeply that 
which cannot be helped,” Mrs. Hunter went on. “We 
women of the South must be brave and keep our hearts 
strong.” 

“ I know, mother, but it seems that this great sacri- 
fice, which is sure to come, might have been avoided, had 
the leaders been more conservative. There is Colonel 
Neville. I am sure his heart is not in this war. But, 
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75 


being Southern born, he felt that he must fight the 
South’s battle.” 

Mrs. Hunter was silent. She was not in sympathy 
with her daughter’s views, being thoroughly loyal to 
her ancestral principles. 

“ Remember, my daughter, that Robert Neville will 
die for the cause; and I hope you will give him due 
credit for his courage.” 

There was a touch of sarcasm in the cold tones of 
the proud woman. 

“ I admire Mr. Neville, mother, more than any man 
I know. He is grand and noble and deserves honor for 
adhering to his principles,” said the girl. 

“ Catherine, you cannot hide from me your true feel- 
ings towards Colonel Neville. I have suspected many 
times that he was more to you than your proud spirit 
would admit. He has no suspicion of your feelings 
toward him. Let us pray, Catherine, that this brave 
man may come out unscathed, — that a heart may not 
be broken by the going out of that noble life, which I 
feel is so essential to my darling’s happiness.” 

Catherine was now crying on her mother’s bosom. 
The soft Southern breeze, laden with perfume of mag- 
nolia and jasmine, floated through the trees and was 
borne with spicy fragrance to the piazza where the two 
women were sitting. It was well toward midnight when 
the mother and daughter retired to their rooms. 

Through the influence of Helen Gibbs, her brother 
was established some months later in the Hunter house- 
hold as a sort of protector, and, it may be added, much 
against Frankie Carey’s wishes, who took her spite out 


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on the docile Ethan by heaping upon him epithets not 
very complimentary to either his manhood or his brav- 
ery. Mr. Gibbs, being by nature a trader, had been 
speculating in cotton with the money saved by his own 
earnings and those of his sister. He was also scouring 
the rural districts buying up gold and silver specie 
with the Confederate money now in circulation through- 
out the South, in the stability of which he had no con- 
fidence, believing it and the government by which it was 
issued would have but a short life. 

After reading the newspapers one morning which 
gave a glowing account of recent Confederate victories 
over the Union forces, Frankie made a scathing attack 
upon her victim, who was standing nearby, calculating 
his profits on the last shipment of baled cotton. 

“ Mr. Gibbs, how can you remain so perfectly indif- 
ferent to your countrymen’s defeat? Why don’t you 
go North and enlist? Duty calls you there. Why, I 
should think the spirit of that crude nobleman of Ver- 
mont, the daring Ethan Allen, whose Christian name 
you dishonor, would call vengeance upon your cowardly 
head ! ” 

“ Miss Carey, you do me an injustice. Are you not 
aware that my unfortunate lameness exempts me from 
duty? Besides, were I a fit subject, my fortunes would 
be cast with the South and not with the land of my 
birth.” 

“ Most fortunate for the South are your deficiencies, 
Mr. Gibbs. A man of your caliber would be a disgrace 
rather than an honor to her glorious escutcheon. 
The South desires not the colorless blood of the trait- 


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orous weakling to mingle with the glowing red of her 
strong, fiery youth.” 

The girl then ran down the steps, hurried across the 
yard, out to where a negro boy stood holding her horse. 
Springing into the saddle, she bent down and whis- 
pered to her dumb friend. The beautiful little chestnut 
whinnied, seeming to understand perfectly, wheeled 
around, gave a bound, and darted aw r ay with its daring 
young rider. 

Mr. Gibbs soon joined his sister in a w*alk, choosing 
for their path the dense woods. 

From the time that she first met the master of Ne- 
ville Hall, almost two years before, Helen Gibbs had 
treasured in her heart a faint hope that by her charm- 
ing personality and bright intellect she might at some 
time inveigle the rich young bachelor into a proposal 
of marriage. Robert Neville, ever ready to recognize 
talent, had not been averse to the society of the gover- 
ness. He had spent many pleasant hours in discussing 
various topics with her. It was not until after the 
death of Judge Hunter that Miss Gibbs suspected the 
existence of a rival and a possible overthrow of her 
w r ell-laid plans. Although thoroughly succeeding in 
his efforts to impress the public mind that his devotion 
to Catherine Hunter was due to the existence of a 
brotherly feeling only, Robert Neville had been unable 
to hide from the quickwitted New England woman the 
tender love he felt for the beautiful orphan. To Helen 
Gibbs, with the dawning of the truth, came the determi- 
nation to destroy. She would employ all the cunning 
intrigue that w r as at her command to alienate the af- 


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fection of Robert Neville from the sweet girl, who in 
her innocence little dreamed that she was an object of 
prey to the scheming governess. 

Robert Neville’s enlistment and subsequent departure 
for the battle-field awakened new hopes in the heart 
of the artful Delilah whose plan it was first to establish 
her unprincipled brother at Myrwood, then to mould 
him as occasion demanded. 

Miss Gibbs, having failed to detect in Catherine’s 
manner any preference for Colonel Neville before he 
left, clung to the one hope that the girl might, if prop- 
erly managed, be brought to look upon her brother and 
his money-making ability as a good catch for even one 
who cherished the insignia of ancestral pride. 

The South, greatly encouraged after its victory at 
Bull Run, did not realize that she was fighting a peo- 
ple partially aroused, that ere many months had passed 
she would be staggered by the reserve force of her 
monster enemy. The time having arrived when the con- 
script laws must be enforced in the Southern States, 
and when every able-bodied man between the age of 
seventeen and thirty-five was expected to enter the Con- 
federate army, the lameness of Ethan Gibbs became 
more noticeable, and he went into the city less fre- 
quently. His attentions had now become very annoy- 
ing to Miss Hunter, who, out of respect to her former 
governess, had hitherto treated the brother with polite 
courtesy. Mr. Gibbs, thinking to gain the favor of 
Catherine, paid exorbitant prices for imported luxuries, 
which, owning to the rigid blockade of Southern ports, 
had now become very scarce. The girl refused to ac- 


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cept the proffered delicacies; and Miss Gibbs, thor- 
oughly aroused at Catherine’s rejection of her brother’s 
suit, dared not openly espouse his cause, but advised 
him to plunge more deeply into speculations, which 
would eventually make him a rich man. 

“ Money,” she told him, “ will win where love fails.” 


CHAPTER XIII 


At the close of a dull day in April Catherine Hun- 
ter sat in the library. She had been reading from a 
book of poems, a present from Robert Neville on the 
eve of her graduation. Closing the handsomely bound 
volume and resting her head in her hand, she dreamed of 
the donor, who had now been away from home almost 
two years. During the first twelve months of his ab- 
sence Catherine had waited as eagerly as did the recipi- 
ents themselves for the letters that came regularly 
every two weeks, addressed to Mrs. Vinton and Frankie 
Carey. But, as the war progressed and the strenuous 
watch of the picket line increased, communications from 
Colonel Neville decreased and now five months had 
elapsed since any tidings of him had been received, ex- 
cept an occasional notice in the newspapers of daring 
bravery on the battle-field, and the generous distribu- 
tion of his wealth for the alleviation of his stricken 
country. 

An hour later Catherine took her hat from the stand 
in the hall; adjusting it she went out on the piazza. 
Descending the steps, she strolled slowly through the 
well-kept grounds. The spicy fragrance of the honey- 
suckle mingling with the more delicate perfume of the 
rose filled the air; the lofty pines, rising majestically in 
the distance, through which by their ever-restless move- 
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81 


ment could be caught an occasional glimpse of the blue 
tinted sky, seemed to touch the low-hanging clouds. 
Passing a hedge of jasmine, Catherine was startled 
at seeing the figure of a man emerge from behind the 
dark green foliage. Stepping to her side, Ethan Gibbs, 
— for it was he, — seized her hand, saying : 

“ I have been waiting at least an hour, Miss Hun- 
ter, for your coming.” 

“ I was not aware, Mr. Gibbs, that my movements 
required watching,” was her haughty retort, as she 
withdrew her fingers from his repulsive grasp. 

“ Why do you persist in avoiding me as you have 
done of late, Miss Catherine? Do you not realize what 
3^our presence and your smiles are to me? ” he replied, 
his cynical face close to hers. 

46 Your presumption, sir, is a surprise. Please per- 
mit me to pass,” and she hastened to the house. 

Catherine never alluded to the unpleasant event, but 
made it a point never to go out for a walk without 
being accompanied by Frankie or her mother, thus 
avoiding another encounter with her detestable suitor. 

It had become a necessity after the first years of the 
war to manufacture clothing, not only for home use, 
but for the fighters, too; quantities being sent to the 
distant camps. On every plantation was a miniature 
factory where carding and spinning were in evidence. 
The ceaseless buzz of the revolving wheel, accompanied 
by the click of the busy shuttle, could be heard from 
early morning until the coming of the night. Hands 
unused to work were kept busy cutting and making gar- 
ments for the soldiers at the front. Catherine had be- 


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82 

come quite expert with the needle, and night after night 
the almost consumed candle on her little sewing table 
revealed a pale face bending over the coarse grey gar- 
ment which was destined months later to cover the shiv- 
ering form of some poor fellow. 


CHAPTER XIV 


The calendar of the Southern negro dated from one 
Christmas to the next. It was now the latter part of 
November, and at Myrwood preparations had com- 
menced for the approaching holidays. The negro 
quarters had already begun to resound with the pent-up 
mirth of months. From the woods came the sound of 
the axe ; for the tree that would furnish the huge “ back 
log ” for the great fireplace was being felled by the 
dusky axeman. At the house Catherine, assisted by 
Frankie, was busy making small gifts and assorting 
nuts and candy for the numerous stockings of expectant 
small darkies, while Mrs. Hunter and Dilcy were hoard- 
ing up the freshly laid eggs, of which dozens would be 
required to make the holiday beverage. The long es- 
tablished custom was still adhered to at Myrwood, and 
on Christmas morning every negro man and woman was 
expected to file past the great silver punch-bowl and 
receive a glass of foaming eggnog. 

An important event, which was celebrated usually 
several weeks before Christmas, — directly after the cot- 
ton picking season was over, and the white fleece had 
been run through the gin, — was the annual “ camp 
meeting,” in which the entire negro population was ex- 
pected to participate. The meetings had now begun, 
and although warned by Dilcy not to go near the 
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grounds Ezra went and was thereupon greeted each 
night of his return from the scene of sanctification by 
a torrent of abuse from his spouse. 

The meetings being at an exciting stage, Frankie 
Carey, who had been informed by Uncle Ezra that the 
text for the midweek’s sermon, — “er moughty powful 
one, was ter be, fi Will yer be reddy when de trumpet 
blow ? ’ ” — had persuaded Mam Dilcy, by confiding to 
that worthy personage her intention to accompany her 
to the grounds, a mile distant. The meeting was well 
under way when the negro woman and her white charge 
arrived. 

Stationing themselves under the branches of a 
friendly pine, at a respectable distance from the sway- 
ing mob, they listened to the words of the preacher, 
who was on a platform gesticulating and begging his 
people to surrender. The text was forcibly dwelt upon. 

“ De time, my brudders an’ sisters,” he said, “ am 
close ’pon us when wese gwine be j edged fur our sins. 
How many niggahs in dis meetin am reddy, should de 
trumpet blow ter-night? Yas, I say how menny am 
prepared ter meet dar Maker at de great jedgment 
seat? ” 

There was an audible mourning among the congre- 
gation. Evidently encouraged by the effect of his awe- 
inspiring words, the exhorter continued with increased 
zeal: 

“ Heah me, sinnahs, an’ heed de wannin’ voice ob him 
who has bin tryin’ ter lead yo in de rite paf, — jis as 
de shephud leads his lams dat has strayed way on 
de mountains. Yas, I’se callin’ yo back, implorin’ yo 


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to repent, — ter be bawn agin. Rite heah in front sets 
one of de shinin’ lights ob de community, brudder Ezra 
Hunter, who I’se moughty shuah, should Gabriel see 
fit ter blow his trumpet dis night, could joyfully shout: 
4 Hea, I is, Lawd! take me, I’se reddy ter go.’ Is de 
statement true, brudder Ezra P ” 

“ Jis as true as if twas me dat made hit,” replied the 
elated darkey; adding: “Yes, breddren and sisters, 
I’se waitin’ anxiously fur de sound of dat horn. I wish 
’twould blow dis berry minnit.” The words were barely 
out of his mouth, when Frankie, who had come prepared 
to have some fun, commenced to blow an old horn that 
Mr. Dobbs had on several occasions used to call the 
hounds for a fox hunt. The effect was electrical. 

Women and men began singing and shouting; Ezra, 
falling on his knees, implored the Lord to give him a 
little more time, not being quite ready. Another pro- 
longed toot, and the old negro sprang over the rude 
seats and fled in the direction of home, followed by his 
terrified associates. Dilcy said to Frankie as they 
walked slowly homeward: 

“ I’se moughty glad dat somebody had sense nuf ter 
conjure up sumthin ter bring dem id jots ter dey 
senses.” 

Arriving home they found Ezra huddled up before 
the almost extingnished fire, wrestling with his old 
enemy “ cramps.” 

“ Dilcy, if yu’s got a few draps ob dat ole Burbin 
an jingah mixture dat Marse Thomas dun gib me de 
Crismas befo’ he died, I’se moughty shuah hit’l mek dis 
ole cramp dat’s wrenchin’ de life out’n my innards go 


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one way er tother. Marse Thomas alius said dat when 
two enemies met, de weakest bounden gib way ter de 
strongest; an’ if I members right dat jingah mix chur’s 
bout strong nuf ter make de debil leggo. Lawdy ! how 
dat cramp du tak hole.” 

“ I alius tek notice, Ezra Hunter, dat your ole 
enemy dat yu’s wrestlin wif now is a moughty con- 
venunt loafer when yu wants his hep ter git you out’n 
some sort ob trouble, Yu ole hypocrit, yu’d bettah 
be callin’ fer de help ob a moughtier spirit dan dat 
which am lef in dat black bottle on de top shef of dat 
cubbard in de cornah dar. Whar wuz your faith 
lemma ask yu ter-night when Miss Frank heah done 
blowed dat horn ob Mistah Dobbs at de camp grounds. 
Your religion, if I do say hit, am bout lastin’ ez a big 
soap bubble.” 

“ Yu heart is jus liak de res ob yu, Dilcy, hits gittin’ 
so ole an hard, dat dar’s not a tendah spot lef — inch 
squah; an lemme tel yu rite heah, ’oman, dat if hit’s 
eber my privilege ter tak anudder wife I’se gwine look 
out fer one ob de tendah sort.” 

And Ezra moved quickly; whether it was the cramp 
that caused the very hasty retreat or the fire-tongs that 
looked so threatening in the hands of his spouse, only 
the old darky himself could have explained. 


CHAPTER XV 


Time passed. The bitterly contested conflict only 
increased. The monarchial countries of Europe, look- 
ing with critical eye upon our nation at war with itself, 
laughed in exultation, stigmatising the belligerents as 
an incoherent mob verifying their prediction that free 
government rule must prove a failure. The continu- 
ous line of breastwork built for defense, and the daring 
recklessness that inspired men to rush into the ranks 
of slaughter, portraying a thirst for blood equal to 
that displayed in the arena of the Roman Colosseum, 
was a spectacle not edifying to a progressive Christian 
republic or its illustrious founder. 

A national tragedy, for which there was no help, 
was being enacted, — a tragedy that had been gradu- 
ally developing for centuries, born of the germs of a 
disease brought from the jungles of Africa in 1619, 
and planted on Virginia soil, to spread its moral poison, 
“ slavery,” into all the colonies, except one where it still 
existed at the formation of the union. The Civil War 
was not only bringing disaster upon the American peo- 
ple, but other countries complained of a depression 
in monetary and commercial affairs caused by an in- 
ability to secure cotton, the “ motor of the world’s 
commerce.” 

Following in the wake of Lincoln’s emancipation 
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proclamation, the South was threatened with servile 
insurrection; a danger that owing to the scarcity of 
men, had a tendency to occasion much alarm in many 
localities. 

It was about three o’clock of an afternoon in July 
that Mr. Dobbs, the Hunters’ overseer, called at Myr- 
wood to inform Mrs. Hunter that the negro population 
on the adjoining plantation was making preparations 
to incite an uprising, which, it was feared, would be 
extended to neighboring quarters, and from which seri- 
ous troubles w T ould result. 

“ What are we to do, Mr. Dobbs? ” asked Mrs. Hun- 
ter, somewhat alarmed. 

“ If I can succeeded in keeping the niggers on our 
own plantation from becoming excited, we may, with 
their help, be able to avoid any violence; but my ad- 
vice, madam, is that you go with your family into the 
city for the night, and leave your trusted servants in 
charge here,” replied the faithful overseer. 

“ Your plan, Mr. Dobbs, I am sure, is the one to 
pursue; and as I feel very anxious about the safety 
of those at Neville Hall, will ask you to please ride 
oVer and explain matters. 

“ Tell Mrs. Vinton to meet us at the home of Dr. 
Jordon by six o’clock this evening.” 

Mrs. Hunter then hurriedly entered the house to 
apprise her daughter of the impending danger. Going 
to the library, she summoned Catherine, wdio had just 
returned from a visit to an old negress that had been 
suffering with lumbago for some weeks. After con- 
sulting with her daughter, Mrs. Hunter then went to 


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the study-room, to find Frankie just finishing her last 
recitation for the day. Briefly stating the alarming 
condition to the eager listeners, the three retired to 
their respective rooms to make preparations for leaving. 

Uncle Ezra and Mammy Dilcy were given full direc- 
tions what to do in case of an attack. The entire 
retinue of house servants was authorized to remain 
that night in the mansion, and if disturbed, to inform 
the intruders that no resistance would be offered as the 
family had taken up their abode in town. About four 
o’clock the carriage was at the front gate ready for 
the refugees. Bidding the faithful servants good-bye, 
the family, accompanied by Miss Gibbs, entered the 
vehicle. Seating herself, Frankie Carey thrust her 
head out of the window and halloaed back to the man 
and woman, whose dusky figures were silhouetted 
against the pillars of the piazza. 

“ Should Mr. Gibbs return to-night from his ped- 
dling tour, see that he stations himself in the observa- 
tory, where as watchman he can give the first alarm at 
the enemy’s approach.” 

Then the girl settled herself among the cushions to 
note the scowl on the face of her governess. 

Arriving in town, the Hunters were hospitably re- 
ceived by Dr. Jordon and his house-keeper at the doc- 
tor’s home, where they were soon joined by Mrs. Vinton 
from Neville Hall. 

Every man that night was one of a vigilance com- 
mittee. It was a night of watching and waiting. In 
every house could be seen a light shining out between 
the closed blinds. The hours slowly passed. The first- 


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quarter moon disappeared in the west ; the town clock 
chimed the midnight hour; from a distant pine wood 
came the mournful music of the tree frog, interspersed 
with the plaintive notes of the whippoorwill. 

On a plantation five miles from the city were gath- 
ered a company of brave, stern men, who by their 
strenuous efforts had succeeded in quieting the rioters, 
thereby averting a night of premeditated lawlessness. 
The morning sun, rising peacefully over the city, was 
greeted with thanksgiving. Frankie Carey, being 
among the first to mingle with the throng that gath- 
ered on the streets, soon espied Ethan Gibbs as he 
came down the broad steps of an unpretentious hotel, 
looking quite refreshed after a night of uninterrupted 
sleep. 

“ Good morning, Mr. Gibbs,” drawled Frankie ; 
“ wdiat news do you bring from Myrwood this morn- 
ing? Poor fellow, you no doubt have passed a sleep- 
less night; your very appearance confirms the fact of 
your brave sentinelship.” 

And the girl, with a look of contempt upon her face, 
stepped in front of him. The disconcerted Ethan 
cleared his throat, while he caressed his best friend, 
the deficient limb, the treasured appendage that had 
enabled him to hobble into a snug little fortune by 
preying upon an unfortunate people. 

“ Mr. Gibbs, if God had made me a man, I would 
not disgrace his handiwork by wearing the brand of 
cowardice. You have shown less bravery, sir, than 
those ignorant people that are stamped with the color 
of your principles. You did not remain at Myrwood 


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last night, as was requested of you, but slept in yonder 
hostelry, afraid to remain at your post of duty after 
returning from a foraging trip.” 

64 My foraging trips, Miss Carey, have enabled me 
to build up a fortune in cotton,” he replied, taking a 
note-book from his vest pocket. Opening it, he with- 
drew therefrom a gold pencil, at the end of which flashed 
a sparkling red ruby, with which he began to write 
down some figures. 

44 Your bales of cotton, Mr. Gibbs, I fear, will never 
reach high enough to hoist you into heaven; God re- 
quires a firmer foundation for His chosen few. Where 
did you get that pencil? ” noting the brilliant ruby as 
it caught the rays of the morning sunlight. 

44 I bought it yesterday for a song. I am a born 
trader, Miss Frankie.” 

44 Your trading instinct, I fear, will lead you yet into 
the error of selling your soul, Ethan Gibbs, for a mess 
■of pottage.” Frankie’s words revealed the state of her 
feelings. Her antagonism was aroused, for the news 
that had been received that morning had caused the tide 
of hope to recede from the breast of almost every 
loyal Southerner: The Confederates had been defeated 
at Gettysburg, with great loss of life — the battle that 
had been raging for days in the almost obscure village 
nestling among the Pennsylvania hills, and a battle 
that, with all its horrors, would go down in history as 
one that had few parallels. A tragedy, the greatest 
since Wagram and Austerlitz, had been enacted. 


CHAPTER XVI 


The invasion so long threatened had at last become 
a reality. The city was in great excitement ; a column 
of cavalry from the Federal army had begun to pour 
into its limits ; the Confederate soldiers stationed there, 
being too weak in numbers to offer resistance, had 
beaten a hasty retreat. 

Mrs. Hunter, who had not been well for several days, 
was seated on the piazza with Catherine when Bob, a 
colored boy who had been sent into town for the fam- 
ily mail, came riding furiously up the avenue, waving 
his arm and yelling like an Apache Indian : 

“ De Yankees am comin! Dey’s already heah. De 
town an roads am full. O Miss ’Lizbeth, der’s nuthin 
but blue coats ! Eben de trees dun all vanished, an’ 
sojers standin’ in dar places ! Yas’m, dey’l be heah 
in er minit, case de hole regment dun took arter me; 
but I jist let Hornet out, an tell him ‘ fly ! ’ and here 
we is.” 

“ Ride to the quarters at once and tell Mr. Dobbs 
that the raid is upon us,” said Mrs. Hunter. 

The terrified negro struck the sides of the horse with 
his bare feet, and turned in the direction of the plan- 
tation, a mile away. 

Passing near the door of a neat outhouse in the 
back yard, the boy informed the inmates, Mammy Dilcy 
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and Uncle Ezra, “ De Yankee debils am comin ! ” where- 
upon the negro woman, who sat busily knitting, re- 
marked : 

“ Ise mouty glad dat Miss ’Lizbeth silber and jew- 
elry’s done buried.” 

Rising, she put away the partially complete sock. 
Then, crossing over to where stood a bedstead black 
with age, she drew from beneath a white muslin valance 
an old leather trunk, taking therefrom a white apron, 
which she tied about her ample waist. Turning to her 
liege lord she said: 

“ Ise gwine to de house ter see what’s goin on dar ; 
an doan yu fur yo life, Ezra Hunter, move frum dat 
char until I gits back, foah jis as shuah ez yu draws 
er bref or winks one of dem eyes in dat ole wooly haid 
ob yours, yu’s gwine be strung up to dat rafter long 
sid dem papper pods to dry! Mine my words, ole 
man.” 

And the Ethiopian figure passed through the door- 
way with some difficulty, to encounter a few moments 
later a squad of blue-coated raiders, talking with Mrs. 
Hunter and her daughter on the piazza. Mammy 
Dilcy had entered the house from the rear and stood in 
the hall near the door, a look of defiance on her ebony 
face. She heard one of the men say to her mistress : 

“ Madam, will you and your daughter conduct us 
through the house? ” 

She saw Catherine start, a flash coming into her 
eyes. The man for an instant seemed to cower, but 
regaining himself, started toward the hall, telling his 
comrades to follow. He entered the house, and was 


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met by Frankie Carey, who had just come in from the 
orchard, with a basket of luscious fruit in one hand, 
her sunbonnet in the other. She stood in front of the 
great stairway. As the leader approached, she said: 

“ By what authority do you enter this house, sir? ” 

“ We are authorized, miss, to search the premises of 
every rebel in the country for valuables and arms,” he 
replied. 

“ You certainly will be spared the trouble, sir, for 
nothing of that description is in this house,” answering 
him scornfully. 

The man in attempting to pass was just in the act 
of laying his hand on the girl’s arm, when Dilcy caught 
hold of his coat sleeve, and thrusting him aside, said: 

“ Doan yu dar tech dat chile, yu measley white trash, 
— a-sneakin’ inter people’s houses, an’ takin what neber 
b’long to yu.” 

The leader, not baffled by this unexpected encounter, 
immediately joined his comrades, who had proceeded to 
the second story. Mrs. Hunter, Dilcy, and Frankie 
followed the raiders up the stairs. Going to her room 
the mistress of Myrwood took from her dresser drawer 
a bunch of keys and offered to unlock the trunks, but 
was informed that there was no time for any such 
formalities. The work of destruction began. From 
room to room went the invaders, breaking open trunks 
with their heavy sabres, pulling out bureau drawers, 
and scattering the contents on the floor. Unable longer 
to hold her tongue, the indignant negro woman follow- 
ing in their wake heaped torrents of abuse upon their 


TWICE LOYAL 


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heads, at which they only laughed. Finally, becoming 
too much enraged to remain longer upon the scene of 
destruction, she turned to her mistress and said: 

“ Come long down-stairs, Miss ’Lisbeth, yu an’ Miss 
Frank; dis ain no place fer quality, I reckon. We 
mought jes ez well leab de robbers up heal” Then, 
glaring maliciously at the men, she delivered a final shot. 
“ May de good Lawd help us an’ punish de thievin’ 
set.” 

Whereupon she followed Mrs. Hunter and Frankie 
down the stairs. 

Their work of destruction on the upper floor being 
finished, the soldiers went below. Entering the par- 
lors, one of the men lifted the cover of the grand piano, 
striking harshly the ivory keys. Catherine Hunter, 
standing near her mother, implored the man to spare 
the instrument. It being a birthday gift from her 
father, she prized it above everything else in her pos- 
session. Touched by the sweet voice of the girl, the 
raider closed the lid and left the room. After helping 
themselves to choice pieces of bric-a-brac the others 
soon followed. 

These same men, that were appropriating whatever 
came in their way, doubtless would have shuddered at 
the suggestion of taking another’s property in their 
own homes at the North. 

Mammy Dilcy, stepping out into the back yard, 
espied two men in the act of setting fire to the mansion. 
A group of frightened servants surrounded them, some 
wringing their hands and begging that their mistress’ 


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home might not be destroyed. At sight of the flaming 
brand, Dilcy commenced a second tirade upon the of- 
fenders. 

“You ain’ dun nuf meanness plunderin’ an’ thievin’, 
but you mus set fire to de house an’ burn hit to de 
groun’.” 

“ Shut up, you black hag ! ” snarled the leader, “ or 
I’ll swing you up to that limb, and give you twenty 
lashes for every impudent word.” 

“ Yer will, will yer? ” — walking up close to him and 
shaking her huge fist in his face, a very demon of rage. 
“ If you dar lay one hand pon me, I’d snatch you so 
ball dat you’d hab no har lef on yo cowardly haid.” 

The man trembled before her wrath. His comrades 
were laughing at his discomfiture when an officer of 
rank, coming around the house, ordered the men off. 
He threatened severe punishment for their unmanly 
action, saying: 

“ I will call you to account for your rudeness to 
unprotected women.” 

Having had an interview with Mrs. Hunter on the 
front piazza, she had reported to him the misdemeanors 
of the raiders. The officer was a young man of fine 
figure, light waving hair, dark blue eyes, and clean 
shaven face. Altogether he presented a striking ap- 
pearance as he stood there in his uniform of blue and 
gold. 

“ I’se mighty glad dar’s one gemmen ’mong dat set 
ob thieves.” And Dilcy courtesied low before him. 

Frankie Carey came hurriedly up and accosted him. 

“ You are an officer of rank, and your gallantry im- 


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presses me as that of a gentleman. Will you grant 
me a favor? ” 

66 Certainly, miss, if it be in my power,” he replied 
smiling down at the eager up-turned face. 

“ Doubtless, sir, you have heard of Colonel Robert 
Neville, a brave Confederate leader, who, I dare say, 
has whipped more Yankees than he ever did niggers. 
His home, Neville Hall, a mile from here, is at the 
mercy of your soldiers, and may now be in ruins. Will 
you accompany me there? ” 

“ At once,” he replied, captivated by the fearless 
Southern girl. Frankie hesitated, then said: 

“ Your men have confiscated every horse about the 
place. How am I to go ? ” 

“ On a Northern flyer, which I will procure from the 
guard stationed at the front of the house. Come,” he 
said. 

The girl followed her escort, who approached the 
sentinel. 'An exchange of words, and the man dis- 
mounted. Frankie was soon seated on the back of 
the white charger, regardless of any inconvenience that 
the saddle might afford. The officer and his guide were 
soon galloping away. Dilcy, appearing on the piazza, 
was almost speechless when she saw Frankie riding off 
with the officer. Hurrying into the house, she ex- 
claimed : 

“ For de Lawd’s sake, Miss ’Lisbeth, come quick, 
an see dat chile goin’ off wif dat Yankee ! She am gone 
stark mad, an hit’s no wonder, arter goin fru what she 
hab ter-day. Ez shoah ez I’se bawn, if dar doan go 
dat low lifted Lasrus a-followin her. If some ob dem 


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Yankees jus koch him an mak a meal ob him I’se gwine 
be moughty glad fur once. Kase dat sneaken deer ob 
Miss Frank’s du debil de life out’n me; hit was jes dis 
mawnin dat I spied him a-pokin his nose fru de gardin 
pailin’s tryin’ ter nibble de coullud heads, an las’ week 
he done chawed a hole in my bes’ checked apron, dat I 
had hung out ter dry. Yes, I hopes dem hungry 
traitors gwine fill up on him befo’ he git back heah.” 

Mrs. Hunter saw the couple disappear through the 
iron archway out onto the open road followed by 
Frankie’s pet deer. She was greatly exercised over 
this escapade of her niece’s. The guard, however, soon 
quieted her fears by a full explanation of the matter. 

Arriving at Neville Hall, Frankie and her escort, 
Major Clark, who had introduced himself to the girl 
during their ride together, found the house surrounded 
by soldiers, and frightened servants. Major Clark 
gave orders that every man vacate the house and prem- 
ises at once. He then established guards about the 
place, and returned with Frankie to Myrwood. 

Everything being quieted down at the house, Dilcy 
returned to her own domain, there to find her husband 
facing the muzzle of a revolver; in some way it had 
become known that Ezra had been entrusted with valu- 
ables belonging to his mistress. As Dilcy entered one 
door one of the men, who was trying to frighten Ezra 
into delivering the treasures, was heard to say : 

“ Here, old man, we were told that your mistress 
had consigned to your care jewelry and silver-ware. 
Now as loyalists we are deputized to confiscate every- 
thing of value south of Mason and Dixon’s line, and we 


TWICE LOYAL 


99 


command 3^011 to take us at once to the hidden treas- 
ure ! ” 

44 You say dat I mus d’liver to yu what Miss ’Lisbeth 
dun tole me ter potect wif my life? No, sah, Ezra 
Hunter’s no Simon Peter.” 

64 Be moughty kereful den yu don betray your mistus 
befo de cock crow de ’pinted number ob times,” said 
Dilcy maliciously. 

44 Come, come, you old humbug; I will give you just 
three minutes to decide ! ” Taking out his watch the 
man held it open, at the same time studying the stupid 
countenance before him. Ezra, with lower jaw sud- 
denly fallen, stood staring blankly at his persecutor. 

64 Only ten minutes, old man, and the time will be up.” 

The negro shifted his position, raised one hand to 
his head and rubbed his ear; the man closed his watch 
and returning it to his pocket, said: 

44 Are you ready to go ? Or have you the brains of 
a lobster that you cannot understand?” 

44 Ter be sho I understan, sah ; but I dun swar ter 
Miss ’Lisbeth dat I neber gwine gib up dem valuables, 
an’ hit makes me feel mought3 T low down ter turn trater 
ter de only persun dat eber posed eny confidence in me.” 

44 Come, you black imbecile ; enough of this gibber- 
ing.” 

44 Well, if I’s obleged ter be a Simon Peter speck I 
must. But heah me: Woe un ter de man dat cobet 
his nabor’s riches.” 

44 March ahead, or I will cover you with bullets ! ” 

Ezra, as commanded, went hobbling out of the back 
yard followed by the men in the direction of the Hunter 


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burying-ground, which was just beyond a clump of 
cedars, from the midst of which rose two stately pop- 
lars, their leaves of silvery sheen now glistening in the 
morning sunlight. Coming to the miniature grove 
Ezra parted the spreading branches, and walked half 
bent; stopping half-way between the poplars, he knelt 
down and began to remove the heavy carpet of reddish 
brown straw, the earth beneath showing signs of having 
been recently disturbed. 

“ Heah, gemmen, yu wil fine de box dat contains de 
valables down deep in dis hole I dun dug day befo 
yisterday ; an ez you lowd me no time ter bring er spade, 
I spect, yu’l hab ter shobel out de dirt de bes way yu 
kin wif yo swords.” 

The two soldiers, eager to possess what they supposed 
was hidden beneath, commenced plunging the points of 
their sabers into the loose earth, but were unable to 
remove more than a small portion of the dirt at each 
stroke. 

In their covetousness, the spoilers had forgotten the 
negro, w T ho had cautiously slipped behind one of the 
poplars, where the men had staked their rifles ; exam- 
ining the barrels, Ezra dexterously removed the caps. 
So intent now were the two men on the prospect of 
soon reaching the treasure that they did not notice the 
wily negro who was silently and swiftly stealing his 
way through the tangled branches. Emerging into 
open space, Ezra ran with all the speed his age and 
rheumatic feet would permit. Dilcy, standing in her 
doorway, saw him coming, and w T hen he abruptly stopped 
before her, she said: 


TWICE LOYAL 


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“ Clar out, yer cowardly critter ! Whar’s dat box 
Miss ’Lisbeth dun trusted ter yo honah, dat yer’s 
alius boastin ob. Clar out’n my sight dis minit, yer 
pitiful wretch, dat’s pertended dese many years ter 
bein so pious. Yu’s nuf liak Judas ter be one ob he’s 
own ofspring.” 

Ezra’s rubber-like lips parted from ear to ear in a 
broad grin as he chuckled. 

“ Yu’s moughty mistaken, oman, when yer ’cuses me 
ob bein’ a Judas. Dilcy, de cock hasn’t crowed once, 
let alone free times. Hit’s er sly ole fox lemme inform 
yu dat leads hits parsuers in a chase, an’ when almos 
run down shys of’n de track, leaben’ de hunters cussin’ 
da luck. I reckon dem thievin’ rascals will feel 
moughty cheap, when dey lifs dat box out’n de ground, 
and discobers dat dey’s bin scentin’ de wrong trail, 
I lef dem two Yankees ober dar a-diggin’ an a-diggin’, 
but dey ’ll neber dig deep nuf ter fin dat box. No one 
eber gwine mek me tel whar dem valables is buried, no ! 
not eben yu, Dilcy Hunter.” And the old man chuckled 
to himself. 

The firing of revolvers arrested Ezra’s attention. 
Turning he saw the men whom he had decoyed coming 
swiftly towards him. Terrified, the negro man with 
leap-frog strides rushed toward the big house, thinking 
there to find protection, and passing in his frantic flight 
the smoke-house, which was being relieved of its con- 
tents by a squad of hungry-looking soldiers, one of 
whom was just in the act of mounting an old mule that 
had been in the Hunter family for thirty years. 

The shouts of the pursuers coming nearer, Ezra 


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sprang madly on. Blinded with fear, he ran into the 
neatly arranged quarters of the honey-bee overturning 
one of the hives, thereby distributing the contents on 
the ground. The bees thoroughly aroused by the un- 
ceremonious overthrow of their kingdom, charged en 
masse against their enemy. Ezra, not realizing the 
source from which he was so unmercifully attacked, 
and thinking the enemy was closing upon him with 
pelting bullets, ran as one pursued by demons around 
the house to the front piazza (where stood Catherine) 
clawing at his head and face and crying: 

“ O Miss Caddie, run, fo Gawd’s sake, run ! Doan 
yu see de bullets flyin’ all ’bout us. I’s shot, I’s killed ! ” 

And Ezra fell prostrate on the lower step, groaning 
with the pain inflicted by the stinging weapons. 

“ Ezra, what’s the matter? ” 

64 O, I doan know what ; but I’s almos skeered ter 
def.” 

Catherine smiled at the terrified negro, who had now 
regained his feet and stood with chattering teeth. 

Major Clark and Frankie Carey, returning from 
Neville Hall, crossed the front yard just as the two 
men in quest of Ezra came around from the rear, bent 
on capturing the cunning old negro who had decoyed 
them into digging up an empty box, which he had 
placed beneath the soil a short distance from the one 
entrusted by Mrs. Hunter to his care. 

The men seeing Major Clark in company with the 
two Southern girls immediately retraced their steps, 
vowing vengeance upon the old darkey. 

Major Clark, politely taking leave of the young la- 


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dies, rode off in the direction of the city. It was about 
dusk that three men rode up to the front door leading 
the two carriage horses, together with Frankie’s little 
chestnut and Catherine’s thoroughbred, — a beautiful 
bay, — which, they said, were returned with Major 
Clark’s compliments. 


CHAPTER XVII 


The next morning Mrs. Hunter and Catherine stood 
on the piazza, gazing anxiously toward the city, now 
at the mercy of the Union troops. 

Presently two officers cantered up the driveway, 
stopped at the gate, dismounted, and tying their horses, 
came toward the house, where they were soon apolo- 
gising to the ladies for intruding. Major Clark, whom 
the Hunters at once recognized, addressing Mrs. 
Hunter, said: 

44 With your permission, madam, we would like a view 
of the surrounding country from the observatory 
above.” 

44 A small favor to grant, sir, to the one whom we 
owe so much,” replied Mrs. Hunter. Whereupon she 
arose and went into the house to summon Ezra. 

Frankie Carey in the garden below, overhearing the 
exchange of words between her aunt and the young 
officer, was not surprised at the request of the latter, 
for only an hour ago she, being in the observatory, had 
descried in the distance moving forms of mounted men, 
the actions of whom impressed her as being that of a 
scouting party. That they were Confederates she did 
not doubt, and the possibility of a skirmish only en- 
thused her. Stealing unobserved through the shrub- 
bery to the rear of the house, then up the back stair- 
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105 


way, she was soon on the second floor. Ascending a 
shorter flight of steps she was soon in the observatory, 
where a few moments later the two officers were shown 
up by Ezra. 

46 Your presence here, Miss Carey, is a pleasant sur- 
prise,” said Major Clark, who then introduced his fel- 
low-officer, — his senior. 

46 Not more so,” she replied, 44 than this early morn- 
ing call with which you honor us.” 

Major Clark, apparently disconcerted, drew from his 
pocket a field-glass, through which he scanned the south- 
ern expanse beyond. Frankie, watching him closely, 
noted a contraction of the brow. Handing the glass 
to his fellow-officer, he addressed the girl: 

44 A fine outlook you have here, Miss Carey.” 

44 Yes, it is admitted to be the finest in the State,” 
was her reply. 

44 Miss Carey, please watch the movements of those 
men, just west of that clump of trees to the south,” 
interposed the senior officer, passing the glass to 
Frankie. 

Adjusting the instrument to her eyes the girl looked 
as directed. 

44 Do you identify them as rebels?” asked Major 
Clark, a twinkle in his blue eyes. 

44 They undoubtedly are not Yankees,” she retaliated 
with hauteur. 

44 Your conclusion, then, is that they are a detach- 
ment of the Confederate army,” he continued in an 
apologetic tone. 

44 Yes, possibly for the purpose of reconnoitering the 


106 


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Federal forces,” she answered in an equally conciliatory 
tone. 

“ You would have a fine outlook, Miss Carey, from 
this elevation, should a skirmish ensue.” 

“ Which I would enjoy immensely,” she replied, clap- 
ping her hands. 

“What if our Union forces were the victors?” he 
queried. 

“ That, sir, would be an impossibility, if equally 
matched in numbers with our soldiers,” she replied. 

“You credit not our conquests to bravery then?” 
he asked. 

“ Which would you prefer to meet as an antagonist, 
Major Clark, a bear from the polar regions, or a tiger 
from the southern jungles?” 

“ Your theory, then, is that the bravery of Southern 
fighters is due to climatic conditions.” 

“ Proverbially speaking, yes,” replied the girl. 

A continued increase in the Confederate numbers 
near the clump of trees in the distance caused an abrupt 
departure of the officers. Frankie, who remained in 
the observatory until called dowm to dinner at the noon 
hour, excitedly explained to the waiting members that 
a battle was evidently brewing, as the Federals had 
broken camp and were slowly marching to the eastward, 
while the Confederates in great numbers were moving 
in a southeasterly direction. 

Afternoon came. At about three o’clock, when the 
family and the Gibbses were all assembled, the muffled 
roar of cannon could be heard. 

“ I winder what it means,” said Mrs. Hunter. 


TWICE LOYAL 


107 


“ It means a skirmish,” replied Ethan Gibbs, turning 
pale. 

Frankie became greatly excited. Walking back and 
forth she felt her pulses leap. 

“ I am going to the observatory,” she said at length. 

“ No, no, Frankie,” remonstrated her aunt; “ if there 
should be a battle raging, to be in the observatory 
would be very unsafe.” 

“ I am no coward, Aunt Elizabeth. I gave Major 
Clark to understand this morning that to witness a 
skirmish from the tower would be my delight.” 

The girl, lifting her white skirts, ran up the winding 
stairs. Stopping on the landing above, she leaned over 
the railing and called below: 

“ Will you come up, Mr. Ethan, and act as a sort 
of body-guard for me? Should you be killed, I will 
ever honor your act of bravery by wearing mourning 
as long as this cruel war is waged.” 

Another rumbling of cannon, and the window panes 
of the great house rattled. 

“ Oh, shucks, Mr. Gibbs ; just hear that glorious 
roar! Do you expect me to wait here for you to cal- 
culate the number of pounds of cotton it would be 
necessary for you to dispose of to pay your expenses 
to Canaan’s shore ? Come up ; and should you acci- 
dentally be blown to atoms by a stray shell, the prob- 
abilities are that there would be no occasion for a 
funeral.” 

The girl’s mocking laugh rang through the halls. 
The firing soon ceased. An hour later the overseer 
called at the house with the information that Black 


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Caleb had followed the Yankees, that a skirmish had 
taken place between the Confederates and Union troops, 
near Banes’ Mill, two miles distant and from all ac- 
counts no lives had been lost, but a number of men 
had been wounded. 

44 Did the Union soldiers retreat, or is there still a 
possibility of battle?” asked Catherine. 

44 Our soldiers are coming into town, with their 
w r ounded, also with a few captives. I am told they are 
making preparations to camp about here for a time, at 
least,” said Mr. Dobbs. 

Frankie, who was standing nearby, exclaimed: 

44 Do you suppose, Mr. Dobbs, that one could dis- 
tinguish any signs of battle where the skirmish took 
place ! ” 

44 You might ride over and view the ground, Miss 
Frank.” 

44 Thank you for the suggestion, Mr. Dobbs,” was 
Frankie’s gracious acknowledgment. 44 Come, Caddie.” 


CHAPTER XVIII 


Catherine Hunter in company with Frankie Carey 
came down the long steps in her riding habit. Follow- 
ing the serpentine walk to the front gate, the girls 
mounted their horses, held in waiting by a negro boy, 
and were soon riding side by side down the driveway, 
greatly to the admiration of Ezra, w r ho stood watch- 
ing them from the piazza. It was now well toward 
evening, and the April sun, slowly dropping behind 
the tree-tops, mellowed the rich green of the beautiful 
landscape. 

44 Caddie,” said Frankie, 44 a great desire of mine is 
to view a battle-field. I knew you would come and 
make a detour with me of the ground where the skirmish 
occurred this afternoon ! ” 

44 Doubtless you will be disappointed, Frankie, for in 
all probability there remains no trace of the conflict 
so recently waged at Banes’ Mill.” 

44 Perhaps fortune may favor me, at least, in finding 
a souvenir,” replied the girl, turning her horse’s head 
in the direction of the old mill. 

Arriving at the sacred spot, Frankie dismounted, 
and tying her horse, began a vigorous search. Cathe- 
rine, espying a profusion of violets blooming beneath 
the tangled branches of a low-spreading cedar, sprang 
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from her saddle and was tenderly plucking them when 
she was startled by an exclamation from Frankie. 
Looking up, she saw her cousin emerge from a dense 
undergrowth near the old mill. Hastily crossing the 
intervening space Catherine stood before her. 

44 O Caddie,” said the girl excitedly, 44 I have found 
a souvenir; one indeed worth the saving.” 

44 May I ask the value of this new-found treasure, 
cousin mine? ” 

44 It is priceless, Caddie. Come, follow me ; and I 
will show you.” 

A few moments later the two girls were bending over 
the apparently lifeless body of Major Clark who, from 
the pool of blood about him, had evidently been se- 
verely wounded. Taking from her dress pocket a small 
pearl-handled knife, Catherine Hunter proved her skill 
in the art of surgery. Dexterously cutting away the 
coat-sleeve, now stiffened with blood, an ugly wound 
was revealed. Despatching Frankie for water, which 
the girl soon brought from the mill-pond in neatly im- 
provised cups of magnolia leaves, she washed away the 
clots from the badly swollen arm, and then made ban- 
dages of her kerchief and her cousin’s. Just as she 
finished the young officer moaned, opened his eyes, and 
gazed unconsciously at the fair surgeon. 

44 Poor fellow ! I wonder how it happened that he 
was left here,” said Frankie. 

44 An accident unexplainable,” replied her cousin. 

44 What shall we do, Caddie, — apprise the authori- 
ties? ” 

44 Which would be a most heartless act, I am sure. 


TWICE LOYAL 


111 


No, Frankie ; I will hasten home and make arrangements 
to have him cared for at Myrwood.” 

“ You certainly will not do anything so rash as that, 
Caddie. Just think what our friends would say if it 
were known that we were nursing a Yankee at our 
house.” 

“ The opinion of people will not deter any action 
of mine. Major Clark deserves our hospitality, and 
I am grateful enough to grant it,” replied the loyal 
girl. 

“ Oh, yes ; I will admit that he is deserving of any 
kindness we may show him, but if he were only an In- 
dian, a Chinaman, an Esquimaux, a wild man of Borneo, 
anything under the sun other than a black Republican 
Yankee it would not be so bad.” 

“ Will you permit sectional prejudice, Frankie, to 
annihilate every instinct of womanhood from your na- 
ture? What if your friend, Colonel Neville, were left 
thus, at the mercy of the enemy on Northern soil, would 
you wish one of your angelic sex to turn his uncon- 
scious, helpless body over to the authorities, when it 
were in her power, possibly, to save his life? ” 

“ Oh, dear, dear ! I suppose we must care for him.” 

Catherine had succeeded in arousing the soul of her 
cousin from its bitterness to meet the fuller light of 
hers in its womanly mercy. A few moments later 
Catherine Hunter was galloping homeward, where she 
soon arrived. Going in quest of Ezra, she informed 
that worthy that she wanted his help. 

“ Your services will be invaluable. Can I trust 
you? ” she said. 


112 


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44 Sartinly, yo kin, Miss Caddy. I’se only too proud 
to do any thing fur yu.” Whereupon Catherine ex- 
plained to the old negro her plans. 

44 I’se moughty sorry but I’se so ole an brok down 
dat I ’spose you’ll hab ter scuse me, honey.” Scenting 
danger in the proposed scheme, Ezra resolved to take 
refuge in his decrepitude. 

44 You are willing, then, to let this man who pre- 
vented those pillagers from murdering you, die within 
two miles of here for want of proper care? However, 
I’m not dependent on you. I will appeal to Mammy 
Dilcy; she is worth twenty cowardly men.” 

44 For Gawd sake, Miss Caddie, doan call me dat 
spisin’ name, kase it bruises my feelin’s to hab you, 
ob all pussons, call me a measly coward. Lemme tell 
you, chile; de trubbl is I ain’ spry nuf ter lif dat big 
ofcer into de cart you perposes me to hawl him over 
heah in.” 

44 Frankie and I can help you lift him.” 

44 Yes, Miss Frank kin lif twice as much as you; but 
we-all free together wouldn’t make er fiel’ han’.” 

44 The only hope for Major Clark is to bring him 
here at once. Delay is certain death,” answered 
Catherine, somewhat irritated at the old darkey’s ex- 
cuse. 

44 Has yo made Miss ’Lizbeth quainted with dis 
skeme? ” 

44 No, I thought to secure the cooperation of your- 
self and Dilcy first. Then, after he was safely in the 
house, it would be an easy matter to enlist my mother’s 
sympathy.” 


TWICE LOYAL 


113 


“ I tells you, Miss Caddie, you’ll be runnin’ er gret 
risk in bringin dat Yankee heah.” 

u I fully comprehend the danger ; but nothing will 
hinder me in my efforts to save him from prison walls 
and death.” 

The girl, turning, went toward the outhouse, where 
she knew she would find her faithful friend, Mam Dilcy. 
The faithful negress, acquainted with her young mis- 
tress’ scheme and Ezra’s assumed inability to lend his 
assistance, immediately summoned her liege lord, who 
had crossed the back yard and stood hesitatingly at a 
short distance from the door. 

“ Come heah, yo ongrateful niggah; whaffor yu tel 
Miss Caddie dat yer’s not able ter liff? Didn’t I see 
yo jis yisterday tote a barl ob pickled poak from de 
plantation cart ter de smoke-house, an’ den brag ter 
de driber dat yer’s feelin bout’s spry ez yo did forty 
yeahs ergo when you used ter clime de persimmon trees 
fur possums? Now lisun ter me: Doan let me heah 
any moah hummin’ and hawin’ from yu bout goin’ 
arter dat gemmen ; case er duty’s er duty, no matter 
what de consequences gwine be. Yu jes go ’long outen 
dis house, an’ do jis as Miss Caddie orders yer.” 

“ So yer’s willin fur me ter braik ma back liftin’ 
dat Yankee offcer, is yer? ” said Ezra, looking entreat- 
ingly towards his spouse. 

“ De bone in yer back didn’t eben so much ez crack 
when yo lifted dat poak yisterday, an’ I’se moughty 
shuah dat poh fellow doan’ weigh moa’n one-haf ez 
much.” 

“ Cain’ yu understan’, Dilcy, dat it ’quires jis as 


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much effort ergin ter lif er poun’ ob flesh dat takes 
yer stringth as it duz er poun of flesh dat slips down 
yer thoat greasy like, gibbin you moah stringth? 99 
And Ezra glided out of the door just in time to miss 
the contents of the gourd, taken from a water-pail that 
sat on a table near to where Dilcy stood. 

The old negro went, however, mutteringly with Cathe- 
rine on her errand of mercy. 


CHAPTER XIX 


Frankie Carey, — high spirited, self willed, patriotic 
to a fault in her loyal love for the Confederacy, — 
cherished an intense hatred for that mighty enemy that 
was slowly but surely pressing hard the plucky South 
into a state of submission. Yet within the warm heart 
of that Southern girl a vein of sympathy had been 
awakened for the helpless young officer who had so 
gallantly granted an appeal from her and saved the 
house of Colonel Neville from destruction; and now 
left alone to guard the Union soldier, while her cousin 
made arrangements for more comfortable quarters, 
Frankie exerted every effort to alleviate the suffering 
of this son of the Northland. The sun was quite down, 
but its departing glories, lingering in a mass of bur- 
nished clouds that lay stretched along the western 
horizon, lighted up the beautiful twilight picture of 
this young girl as she knelt beside her unconscious 
charge, cooling the fevered brow with dripping leaves, 
or moistening the parched lips, from which escaped an 
occasional moan. 

The afterglow faded, and dark shadows had begun 
to envelop the surroundings when Catherine and her 
black aid arrived. Lifting the wounded officer into the 
cart, the trio, with their prisoner, started toward home. 
The sandy soil over which they drove was soft and 
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yielding, and so slowly did they move along that no 
jar was perceptible. It was now quite dark and once 
they passed a Confederate scout, who made no attempt 
to molest the unsuspicious plantation turnout and its 
innocent-appearing occupants. 

Upon their arrival at Myrwood, — which, late as it 
was, proved fortunately the supper hour, — Major 
Clark was conveyed up the back stairway to an unused 
though well-ventilated room in the north wing of the 
mansion. A bed of snowy whiteness had been prepared 
by Mammy Dilcy, who was now ready with bandages, 
of linen, home made salve, and concoctions of numerous 
herbs. 

“ Poh fellah! I’se moughty fraid he’s done fur,” said 
the negress as she dressed the wound. 

Catherine, leaving her charge in care of the faithful 
nurse, joined her cousin, who had preceded her to the 
dining-room. Hastily drinking a cup of tea, she then 
went in search of her mother, whom she found pacing 
back and forth on the piazza. 

“ Catherine, you and Frankie were out late to-night, 
dear.” 

“ I have just come to offer an explanation, mother, 
for our unusual absence from the supper table to- 
night.” 

“ Which, my daughter, caused me some uneasiness, 
until informed by Dilcy that you were escorted by 
Ezra. Where is Frankie? She will be delighted to 
hear of Colonel Neville’s arrival home.” 

“Colonel Neville! When did he come?” eagerly 
asked Catherine. 


TWICE LOYAL 


117 


44 O Aunt Elizabeth, did I understand you to say that 
Colonel Neville was home? ” asked Frankie, coming 
from the hall out onto the piazza, where stood her aunt 
and cousin. 

44 Yes, Miss Lipscombe, who called here this evening, 
said that in passing the Neville coach about dusk she 
had recognized its occupant as being Robert Neville. 
That he was reclining among cushions and looked to 
be quite ill.” 

44 Can Uncle Ezra go with me to Neville Hall, Auntie 
dear. Please don’t refuse ; for I must see him to-night.” 

44 Your eagerness, Frankie, were you not such a child, 
might lead one to infer that you were in love with 
Mr. Neville.” 

44 The word love does not express my feeling for 
Colonel Neville, Aunt Elizabeth, I just worship that 
noble man, and have since he first made me his confi- 
dante and friend.” These impulsive words caused 
Catherine to start. 

44 It is now fast approaching eight o’clock, Frankie. 
If 3mu must go, Ezra will accompany you. We will 
await your return, which must not be later than ten 
o’clock. Go now and make known your wishes to Ezra 
before he retires ; and remember, our regards to Colonel 
Neville.” 

The girl disappeared in quest of the trusted servant, 
whom she found seated on the hewed-log step before 
the door of his whitewashed cabin, contentedly smoking 
a cob pipe. Frankie’s request caused the old negro to 
mutter. 

44 Seems ter me hit’s moughty strange noshuns dat’s 


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done tuk perseshun ob yu an Miss Caddie ter-day. 
Fust she cum an ask me ter go wif her ter bring er 
sick Yankee ofcer hyer, an’ now yu cum’s an ax’s me 
ter go wif yu ter Nebille Hall ter see er sick rebil ofcer. 
Dar’s no use talkin’, I alius tole Dilcy dat de female 
im’ges ob Ebe wuz moughty queah mixters enway, dat 
yu nebber know fur sartin which way dey’s gwine 
turn, — mebbe its frontards one minit an backards 
de nex’, but bein’s yu’s turned in de rite direction 
ter-nite, an’ I’se moughty anxious ter shake han’s wif 
Marse Colonel Robert Neville, I offahs my sarvices ter 
yu* Miss Frank, mos’ cherfully.” 

And ere many minutes had elapsed, Frankie and 
Ezra were off for Neville Hall to greet the master. 


CHAPTER XX 


44 My dear child, I fear this rash act of yours may 
bring us into serious trouble,” said Mrs. Hunter upon 
being apprised of the unfortunate circumstance whereby 
Major Clark was made their guest. 

“ What will Colonel Neville think when he learns that 
we have secreted here a Federal officer ? ” 

For a moment Catherine hesitated, then said: 

44 Although Colonel Neville’s views and mine may 
widely differ, I accredit him with being too much of a 
gentleman to interfere; besides, he need not know.” 

44 Frankie cannot keep it from him,” replied Mrs. 
Hunter. 

44 I have her promise the secret will be held sacred. 
I apprehend trouble from only one source, mother, and 
that from one whom you least suspect.” 

44 May I ask the name of this dreaded personage ? ” 

44 Our governess,” replied the girl with lowered voice. 

46 A statement, Catherine, which surprises me. 
What reason have you for this suspicion of one in 
whom you have heretofore placed such perfect confi- 
dence? ” 

44 Reasons which I prefer not to disclose at present.” 

44 The characteristics of your father, I see, my daugh- 
ter, are strongly portrayed in you. His dislike and 
mistrust of Helen Gibbs I could not understand.” 

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“ My father’s unerring prescience was a rare faculty 
universally acknowledged, mother dear.” 

“ I admit that my noble husband was endowed with 
wonderful foresight, but I have often told him that 
he was as immovable as a stubborn oak when once his 
mind was settled upon a matter. Your father’s sister 
Parthenia, ten years his senior, had the same inflexible 
will, which finally wrecked her happiness.” 

“ You have never told me, mother, how it happened 
that my aunt, — who was considered a great beauty in 
her day, — never married.” 

“ Your aunt Parthenia, Catherine, was just your 
exact age and image when she became engaged to 
Richard Farrar, the greatest beau in the State of 
Maryland thirty years ago. They were to be married 
in May, but unfortunately, on the fourteenth of Febru- 
ary she received a valentine; the frontispiece being a 
perfect picture of herself portrayed in the act of dip- 
ping snuff*. Between the pages were descriptive verse 
on the growing evil of snuff dipping, as indulged by 
the Southern belle. It being known that Richard 
Farrar was a fluent writer of poetry, Parthenia was not 
slow to charge her lover with the offense, and she at 
once broke the engagement; no explanation offered by 
Richard Farrar could convince her that he was not the 
guilty party; the result was that Mr. Farrar enlisted 
in the Mexican War under General Taylor and was 
killed in the summer of 1846. Ten months later the 
real author of the valentine was discovered. Aubry 
Page, a second cousin of Parthenia’s, — a dare-devil sort 
of fellow, — had copied the verses from an old valentine 


TWICE LOYAL 


121 


of his mother ; then he secured the services of an 
artist to copy Parthenia’s picture from a small ivory 
miniature she had given him of herself the year before ; 
the artist adding the snuff-box and brush as directed. 
It so happened that Aubry Page left home on Saint 
Valentine’s day for a trip abroad. He returned after 
a lapse of fifteen months to find the cousin whom he had 
left in the bursting bloom of maidenly beauty changed 
to a faded shadow of her former self. The confession 
of Aubry Page completed the wreck begun many months 
before. Your aunt failed rapidly, and just two years 
after the death of her lover a strange coincidence hap- 
pened: Parthenia, apparently brighter and stronger 
than she had been for some time, arose early and 
plucking some flowers had placed them, as was her 
daily custom on her lover’s grave, — for she had insisted 
that the remains of Richard Farrar should rest in the 
old Hunter burying ground. She fell forward and was 
found lying lifeless several minutes later across the 
green mound under wfyich slept her precious dead, the 
date of the month being the same as that which marked 
the death of Richard Farrar. That was long before 
your Grandfather Hunter left Maryland to settle far- 
ther south.” 

They were here interrupted by the return of Frankie 
and Ezra. 

“ What news do you bring us from Mr. Neville, my 
dear? ” was the anxious query of Mrs. Hunter. 

“ He has been very low from the effects of a wound 
received two months ago, and now that he is conva- 
lescent has been granted a furlough. Oh, Aunt Eliza- 


122 


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beth ! Colonel Neville is so changed you would scarcely 
recognize him; and I was such a little simpleton that 
I actually cried when he greeted me.” 

44 Will Colonel Neville be classed an invalid, or will 
he be able to be about? ” asked her aunt. 

44 Invalid or not, he will call here to-morrow accom- 
panied by Mrs. Vinton; then you can congratulate 
him.” Then, turning to her cousin she said : 44 Cad- 

die, please come to my room before you retire, I have 
something to tell you.” And she was gone. 

Frankie’s words caused a pain such as was never be- 
fore experienced in the heart of Catherine. He would 
call for 44 congratulations ” ; then Frankie’s request that 
she come to her room before retiring, — - what did it all 
mean? Could it be possible that Robert Neville loved 
Frankie? Had not the girl, within the past two hours, 
declared that she worshipped him? Had her impul- 
sive tomboy cousin won the love of the man who alone 
had possessed the power to awaken her heart? thought 
Catherine. And when Mrs. Hunter suggested that 
they join Dilcy in the room above, she arose and fol- 
lowed her mother as one dazed. Entering the apart- 
ment where lay the wounded officer, they found him 
with a raging fever. 

44 Bettah sen’ fur de doctah if yu doan’ want er daid 
Yankee on yer hans; I’se don tried all my remedies,” 
said the negro woman authoritatively. Ezra, dozing in 
the back hall just outside the door, where he had been 
stationed as a sort of guard, w r as summoned, and imme- 
diately sent to bring the family physician, Dr. Jordon. 

It being arranged that Mrs. Hunter and Dilcy would 


TWICE LOYAL 


123 


keep watch in the sick room through the night, Cath- 
erine retired to her room, and a few minutes later 
rapped softly at her cousin’s door. 

“ Come in,” called a voice from within. 44 1 have 
been waiting here for the past half-hour with my eyes 
propped open,” said Frankie, yawning, 44 but I 
couldn’t think of sleeping until I had told you.” 

Catherine felt faint and dizzy. She leaned heavily 
against the table. 

44 Why, Caddie, what is the matter? You look 
deathly. Shall I bring you some water? ” 

44 No, thank you. The excitement of the day has un- 
nerved me. I feel better already.” 

44 Sit here, dear, in my chair while I warm these little 
icy hands of yours in mine,” pleaded the girl, forcing 
her cousin into the cosy rocker. Then, seating her- 
self at Catherine’s feet she caressed the one who had 
been her beautiful idol from childhood. 

44 You are very happy to-night, Frankie,” said Cath- 
erine, a sadness in the low, musical voice. 

44 Yes, happier than I have been since Colonel Ne- 
ville left for the war.” 

A shiver passed over Catherine and her voice quivered 
as she asked: 

44 Will you confide in me?” 

44 That is why you are invited to come here, Cousin 
dear. I have something to tell you. Can you guess 
what ? ” 

44 That some one has proposed marriage to you.” 

44 Proposed marriage to me? How very absurd! 
Why, who do you think would ever make an avowal of 


TWICE LOYAL 


m 

love to a hoyden like me, Caddie? ” said the girl, laugh- 
ing. Seeing her cousin smile she continued : 

“ No, Miss Hunter, I shall never have a proposal 
until you are well out of the way. For it is of such 
beauty as yours that poets sing, and for which men 
clash steel. It is not my heart that Mr. Gibbs would 
buy with his ill-gotten wealth, neither is it my love that 
Colonel Neville desires. Caddie, I shall never be loved 
as Robert Neville loves you. It is for a glimpse of you 
that he is coming here to-morrow. Your smile it is 
that will hasten his speedy recovery, his first words after 
greeting me to-night were of you. 

“ Would you care, Frankie, if Colonel Neville liked 
me best? ” 

“ I wouldn’t care if the entire world loved you best, 
my sweet cousin ! ” 

Catherine left Frankie’s room that night much hap- 
pier than when she had entered an hour before. Hav- 
ing disrobed, she knelt beside her snowy bed and thanked 
God to whom she had been early taught to take all 
things in prayer. The moon smiling in upon her 
flooded the room with a silvery radiance. It was in- 
deed a night for gratitude. 


CHAPTER XXI 


The next morning Catherine arose early. It was a 
lovely day; and the heart-strings of the jubilant girl 
were in perfect accord with the harmony of nature. 

A few short hours and she would face the man, the 
coming of whom she eagerly awaited, and the long 
dreary months of whose absence had only strengthened 
the love she had tried so hard to conceal. 

“ I must not let him know,” she softly murmured. 

Passing through her bedroom door, down the main 
hall, then turning into a triangular passageway, which 
was lighted from a transom above, she stole noiselessly 
along. Stopping before a paneled door, which opened 
as she touched a secret spring, she descended a half- 
dozen steps, to find herself in a narrow entry, at the 
terminus of which was a massive oaken door, before 
which she stopped and rapped lightly. A voice from 
the opposite side called out: 

“ Who dar? ” 

“Can I come in, Mam Dilcy? ” Catherine answered 
softly back; whereupon the door slightly opened, and 
the girl went in. The negro woman was alone with the 
man, who was sleeping quietly. 

“ What does Dr. Jordon say about the condition of 
our patient, mammy?” asked Miss Hunter in an un- 
dertone. 


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TWICE LOYAL 


“He said de majer’s gwine pull fru ; but dat hit’l 
be seval weeks befo he’s well nuf ter send away ter 
prison.” 

“ Words of encouragement, I’m sure, even to the most 
cowardly. Better he should die now than such a fate,” 
replied Catherine. And she glanced toward the bed, 
to find the rational gaze of the young officer fixed in- 
tently upon her. She started, changed color, and im- 
mediately left the room to send her mother up a few 
moments later to explain to Major Clark. 

It was ten o’clock ere Mrs. Vinton and Colonel Ne- 
ville arrived. Catherine, seated at the library win- 
dow, saw them coming up the steps: he, leaning on 
the arm of his stately aunt, a trifle thinner, a shade 
paler, but not less handsome than on that May morn- 
ing, almost three years ago, when he had ridden tri- 
umphantly northward at the head of his regiment. 
Frankie, meeting them on the piazza, chatted gaily as 
she clung to Robert’s disengaged arm. Catherine arose 
as they were ushered in. 

“ Colonel Neville, I am glad to welcome you,” she 
said, extending her hand, and glancing coyly at him. 
His heart was stirred almost beyond control. If he 
might fold her to his breast, what happiness more could 
heaven bestow? There was a brief silence, in which 
he struggled to compose himself before attempting to 
speak. 

Mrs. Vinton and Frankie, comprehending the situa- 
tion, passed on out. 

Regaining control of himself, and recalling the words 


TWICE LOYAL 


127 


of Judge Hunter, 44 Be patient, Robert ; allow Cath- 
erine ample time to know her heart,” Neville merely 
said: 

“ I am happy to be with my friends again.” 

And releasing the little hand, he threw himself into 
an easy chair to feast his eyes on the girl who was the 
very idol of his being, his eyes portraying that which 
his lips refused to utter. After a few casual remarks 
they were joined by Mrs. Hunter and Miss Gibbs. 

The day passed pleasantly; and Mrs. Vinton and 
Colonel Neville returned to Neville Hall toward even- 
ing. The following morning word was received at Myr- 
wood that Colonel Neville was suffering from a relapse, 
that the wound which was thought to be healed had 
become much inflamed, and that fever was feared. 

44 There will be no lessons for me to-day, or any other 
day until he is better,” declared Frankie. 44 1 shall go 
at once to Neville Hall and beg Mrs. Vinton to install 
me as nurse; now please, Aunt Elizabeth, don’t refuse 
me; because if you do, I shall commit some terrible 
deed.” 

44 Of what service would a child like you, Frankie, be 
in a gentleman’s sick room? I shall order the carriage 
and Ezra will drive us all to Neville Hall, and should 
assistance be needed, I shall remain ; you and Catherine 
returning with Ezra.” 

Apparently not hearing her aunt’s verdict, Frankie 
bounded through the low window that opened out from 
the piazza, then rushing down the steps, she sped along 
the shell-bordered walk to grasp the hand of a tall, 


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slender youth as he came through the iron gateway. 
It was Roy Banes, returned from college, where he had 
been two years, to spend his vacation at home. 

Together the boy and girl came up the winding walk. 
The years spent away at school had produced a marked 
change in the boy’s appearance. The dull red hair had 
taken on a rich dark auburn shade, the anemic condi- 
tion of the blood had been changed, and the pale face 
was now suffused with a glow of health ; the gray eyes 
snapped with the fire of energy, while the neatly-fitting 
checkered suit showed well the erect figure of the seven- 
teen-year-old boy as he walked beside the girl who had 
encouraged him onward by feeding his famished intel- 
lect with the first crumbs of knowledge, as they fell, 
like manna, from her childish lips. Mr. Neville’s per- 
sonal interest, and the marked improvement in the boy 
had dispelled somewhat the vein of prejudice hitherto 
existing in the bosom of Mrs. Hunter toward one whom 
she had considered little better than the servants who 
came at her beck and call. The poor miller’s son was 
now a frequent visitor at the stately mansion, where 
dwelt the object of his inspiration; Mrs. Hunter offer- 
ing no objection. 

About ten o’clock the family, accompanied by Roy 
Banes, were on their way to Neville Hall. The cloud- 
less day, the buzzing of insects, the soft spicy air 
warmed by the penetrating rays of the sun, which had 
now climbed above the tops of the pines stretching east- 
erly, seemed to have a quieting influence upon those 
within the carriage, as it rolled along over the smooth, 
white road. Catherine, whose face was shadowed with 


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129 


gloom, was doubtless thinking of the possibly dangerous 
condition of Colonel Neville ; while Frankie, impatient, 
thrust her head occasionally from the open carriage 
window, to see if they were nearing their destination. 
The boy at her side, with cap drawn low over con- 
tracted brows, was evidently sketching for himself a 
picture not flattering, — a picture wherein he might 
possibly be forced to face changed conditions. 

The barking of Mr. Neville’s favorite mastiff aroused 
the occupants of the vehicle from a seeming state of 
oblivion. 

“ My ! But I am glad this Quaker-meeting is over ! ” 
said Frankie, adjusting the pretty palmetto hat that 
Catherine had just completed the day before. The vis- 
itors were ushered into the parlor by the faithful Wil- 
liam, who informed them that the master was 
“ a moughty sick man.” Soon Dr. Jordon came down 
from Mr. Neville’s room where he had been summoned 
at the first dawn of day. When Frankie asked him if 
Colonel Neville would recover, he answered: 

“ With the cooperation of this little girl here,” plac- 
ing his fat hand on the shoulder of Catherine, “ I may 
be able to pull him through. The boy has a raging 
fever, which has thrown him into delirium, and there 
seems to be but one person on his mind, one name on 
his lips. Who the girl is, or where her dwelling place 
I know not. It may be the loved name of some lady 
of noble birth, whom he has met in foreign lands, or it 
may be a sweetheart of some far-away peasant village. 
This, however, I do know: if I can persuade Catherine 
here to remain with me at his bedside for two or three 


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days, I think we will have him up within a week. What 
say you, little girl? ” 

The doctor glanced from the corner of his twinkling 
eye at Catherine, whom he finally persuaded to remain 
at Neville Hall until dismissed by himself. Mrs. Hun- 
ter, realizing that it was not she who was wanted in the 
sick-room, returned home with Frankie. 

The passing hours brought no change in the sick 
man’s condition. It was the night of the third day, and 
Mr. Neville continued to toss in the fever of delirium; 
the little onyx clock on the mantel had chimed the mid- 
night hour; from the great clock in the hall below had 
come twelve prolonged strokes. 

44 Catherine,” murmured Robert Neville in his delir- 
ium ; she bent low, — one unconfined curl caressing his 
cheek. 44 You are here, dear? ” 

44 Yes,” she replied. 

44 0 my love, — my own ! ” he moaned. 

44 Colonel Neville is delirious ; he does not know what 
he is saying,” said Catherine, looking up at Dr. Jordon, 
with slightly coloring brow. 

44 Tut, tut, little girl ! A man never becomes so en- 
tirely lost in the darkness of delirium but what he can 
see the woman he loves before him.” 

44 Colonel Neville cares for me only as a sister.” 

44 Blind little fool, have you not discovered his secret? 
Catherine, do you not know that Robert Neville loves 
you, — that it is in your power to make him happy ? 
Since the morning of your father’s death I have known 
that his heart was yours. It is about time your heart, 
if you possess any, was awakened. Oh, do not sac- 


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131 


rifice your happiness, Catherine, by the delusion 
that Robert Neville’s love for you is only that of a 
brother.” 

The sick man, tossing in his fevered restlessness, grew 
suddenly quiet. Dr. Jordon placed his fingers on the 
pulse, and with anxious face scanned the pallid features 
before him ; a prayer escaped the lips of the girl. Sud- 
denly a smile displaced the look of anxiety on the doc- 
tor’s face, the crisis had passed, and Robert Neville 
was quietly sleeping. Catherine left the bedside and 
sought the window. The love she had so long concealed 
surged through all her being. Looking out she gazed 
with rapture on the scene before her. Venus, now well 
up, showed brilliantly in the clear blue sky ; the moon in 
its last quarter lay crescent-shaped along the western 
horizon. Everything above, beneath, showed the won- 
derful beauty and perfection of nature, — the work of 
an omnipotent hand was unmistakably portrayed in the 
expanding beauty of the unfolding day. Leaving the 
window, she crossed the room and looked again upon the 
face of the man so quietly resting. A few whispered 
words with Dr. Jordon, and she left the room to seek 
the rest she so much needed. 

The sun marked the time as being two hours before 
midday when Catherine Hunter stepped into the Neville 
coach to be driven home the following day. She could 
not be persuaded to tarry longer, for she had played 
well her role, and the time for her going had arrived. 
It had been understood between herself and the house- 
hold that should Colonel Neville regain consciousness 
he was to be kept in ignorance of her having been pres- 


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ent in his house, and of the vigilant watch she had 
maintained at his bed-side. 

With Catherine at Neville Hall and Frankie away 
most of the day with Roy Banes, Miss Gibbs was not 
slow in availing herself of the opportunity to ferret out 
the secret of the unused chamber in the north wing. 
That a mystery was connected with the room she had 
for some days suspected. Being now almost confident 
that Catherine Hunter loved the man whom she had 
tried so hard to secure for herself, the ambitious woman, 
not willing to resign graciously the aspiration of years, 
went to work with the persistency of a detective; and 
ere Catherine had returned home, her Yankee shrewd- 
ness had discovered that the Hunters were entertaining 
a Federal soldier. 

That Catherine had provided the asylum for the 
enemy, she did not doubt. The time had at last arrived 
for avenging the rejected love of her brother. She 
would expose the girl to the Confederate authorities, 
then possibly Colonel Neville might be persuaded to be- 
lieve that the girl to whom he had so long surrendered 
his heart was in love with the Yankee major, who was 
fighting for the principles that she so thoroughly ad- 
vocated. 

Robert Neville recovered rapidly and was soon able to 
ride in his carriage to Myrwood. Catherine’s welcome 
was guarded, for she had to be careful lest some un- 
guarded word of hers betray her secret. Dr. Jordon 
looked on and frowned, remarking one day after Mr. 
Neville had taken his leave that he thanked God every 
day for making his heart proof against the wiles of 


TWICE LOYAL 


133 


woman. Whereupon Catherine took his fat hand in 
hers, and looking up into his ruddy face, said playfully : 

44 You know, doctor, that if you were thirty years 
younger, Mr. Neville would have a rival, and the world 
a bachelor less.” 


CHAPTER XXII 


Two weeks had now elapsed since Major Clark had 
been brought in an unconscious state to the home of the 
Hunters. His condition, owing to careful nursing, 
showed marked improvement; the feverish symptoms 
had passed away, but the wound was of such a nature 
as to require the daily attention of Dr. Jordon. It 
was toward the close of a bright afternoon that book 
in hand, coming into the room for the purpose of read- 
ing to the invalid, Catherine met that worthy practi- 
tioner in the act of taking his departure. 

“ Well, little girl,” he jokingly said, “ this Yankee 
patient of yours is getting quite chipper and will, I 
think, be able to pay a visit soon to the headquarters 
of our Confederate captain.” 

“ With your permission, sir, I will extend an invita- 
tion to Captain Farnam to meet Major Clark at Myr- 
wood.” 

“ Which, my child, is wholly unnecessary. Cathe- 
rine, there is a traitor in this house. Major Clark’s 
hiding-place has been discovered. Captain Farnam 
has been notified that he was not killed in battle, — that 
he still lives. Now, in order to prevent the capture of 
this Yankee, we must arrange for his removal to safer 
quarters. What say you, young man ? ” And the doc- 
tor chuckled. 

“ I am very sorry,” said Major Clark, “ for any 
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TWICE LOYAL 


135 


trouble that my presence may cause this generous fam- 
ily. It would have been better had Miss Hunter and 
her cousin left me to take my chances with the grim 
messenger Death, or, what would have been even worse, 
to have shared with my unfortunate comrades a cell at 
Andersonville.” 

“ I can’t conceive how you managed to escape de- 
tection, Major Clark, when your wounded, to a man, 
were captured.” 

“ It was this way. A few moments before the enemy 
charged over the spot where I fell, I managed to pull 
myself beneath the secluded thicket, where I lost con- 
sciousness, and a few hours later was discovered by my 
rescuers,” he replied. 

“ I see, I see. Well, take care, major, and don’t 
worry yourself into a. fever. This young lady here, 
who is the possessor of remarkable cleverness, will some- 
how manage your escape.” And the jovial doctor 
opened the door and passed out. 

“ I can never fully express my gratitude to you, 
Miss Hunter. It is to your generous hospitality and 
careful nursing that I owe my life,” said the invalid, 
with a grateful look at the girl who had seated herself 
and was turning the pages of the book. 

“ Please do not speak of gratitude, the obligation is 
ours, — Major Clark, — it is to you that we feel in- 
debted. You saved our home. Had it not been for 
your timely arrival we, like many others in this stricken 
land, would now be homeless.” 

“ Any gentleman would have acted in a like manner,” 
he replied. 


136 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ Periods like this develop renegades rather than 
gentlemen,” she said, rising to answer the light rap on 
the door. Frankie Carey came in, bearing a great 
bunch of wild-flowers, her flushed face showing signs of 
recent exercise, while the tangled curls were in disorder 
about her shoulders. 

“ Good-evening, Miss Carey. Both you and your 
bouquet are typically Southern.” 

“ The highest compliment that you can bestow on a 
loyal girl of the South, Major Clark,” replied Frankie, 
with a toss of her small head. “ As Caddie has been 
treating you daily to bouquets of cultivated flowers, I 
wish to show you the product of our forests and glens.” 

“ The North produces no such luxuriance of natural 
growth,” he said, examining the flowers. 

“ Then you admit that nature is slightly partial to 
the Southland? ” — a roguish twinkle in her black eyes. 

“ Yes, in her lavishing of beauty upon her women 
and her flowers.” 

“ Can’t you add, Major Clark, that she has equally 
favored the men of the South? ” 

“ I have seen some that were handsomer than myself,” 
he answered, smiling. 

“ Should you ever meet Colonel Neville, you will turn 
green with jealousy,” she said archly. 

“ The possibilities are, Miss Carey, that you and I 
might view this Apollo of yours through different col- 
ored glasses.” 

“ To prove my statement, I will show you his pic- 
ture, which is partially framed with souvenirs brought 
me by Colonel Neville from the uniform of Federal of- 


TWICE LOYAL 


137 


ficers. By the way, Major Clark, a buttpn from your 
coat adorns the picture.” 

46 Is it charitable, Miss Carey, to take that which be- 
longs to a helpless captive? ” 

44 Certainly, sir, when the captive is a prisoner of 
war, and I, being the captor, have a right to cut a bit 
of brass from your uniform.” 

44 To be honest with you, Miss Carey, I should not 
have been displeased had you confiscated buttons, uni- 
form, and wearer as contrabands of war.” 

44 Your gallantry confirms the fact that you are on 
the wrong side, Major Clark. You would make a cap- 
ital Southerner. Why did you not enlist in our 
cause? ” 

44 There being no possible chance of escape from this 
hot-bed of secession, perhaps it is not yet too late for 
a change.” 

44 It is always late to change. No, sir; you are a 
man of too much honor to wear the brand of deserter,” 
said the girl, with flashing eyes. 

Ezra, coming in to light the candles, warned the 
young ladies that it was time to depart. Promising 
the young officer a generous supper, Frankie followed 
her cousin from the room. 


CHAPTER XXIII 


The following evening Catherine, with only her 
thoughts as companion, sat on the piazza awaiting the 
coming of Colonel Neville to her assistance. Twilight 
had taken on the more sombre hues of night. Through 
the tall pines stretching eastward the full moon was 
peeping, and the air was soft with the fragrance of 
summer bloom. O’er earth and sky there was a peace- 
fulness that contrasted forcibly with the turbid minds 
of the people. From the distant quarters of an ad- 
joining plantation came those wailing melodies that 
were destined in after years to call forth applause from 
people of more than one continent. 

“ Happy creatures ! ” mused Catherine. 44 How 
much better for us had they never been brought to 
American shores ! ” 

The cry of the whippoorwill aroused her, as it whirred 
through the air to light on a tall rose-bush near the 
steps, there to begin its night song, which seemed to the 
girl sitting in the shadow of the marble column to be a 
foreboding of trouble. 

Suddenly there came through the stillness another 
and more ominous sound. A tramping of hoofs w r as 
heard approaching. Soon horsemen could be seen rid- 
ing toward the house, trying to keep, as it were, in the 
shelter of the overhanging boughs of the great cedars. 

138 


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139 


Catherine was quick to realize the situation. The Con- 
federates had come to search for Major Clark. The 
governess had done her worst. The young girl arose 
and entered the house in quest of her mother, who, ac- 
companied by Frankie, had gone to visit a poor sick 
woman a mile distant. 

Returning to the piazza Catherine was confronted by 
two men in gray. One of them, addressing her, said: 

46 Miss Hunter, I have orders to search these prem- 
ises for a Union officer, who was wounded in the skirmish 
at Banes’ Mill. It was rumored that he was found al- 
most in a dying condition by you and conveyed hither, 
where he has been carefully nursed. With your per- 
mission, I will go through the house in search of him. 
An unpleasant duty, I admit, but one wffiich has been 
forced upon me.” 

44 You will save yourself much trouble by postponing 
the execution of your superior’s rash orders,” she said 
haughtily. 44 Ah, there comes Colonel Neville up the 
w r alk. I will let him explain to you, sir.” 

Robert Neville came hurriedly up the steps and stood 
before her, his broad plumed hat in hand. Noting the 
troubled look on Catherine’s face he asked : 

44 What is the matter? Why these soldiers here?” 

44 Come into the parlor ; I wish to talk to }^ou alone, 
Colonel Neville,” said Miss Hunter. 

He entered the house, still pale from his recent ill- 
ness. While he sat down on the broad sofa, Catherine 
crossed over to one of the front windows and looked 
out to see the Confederate soldiers riding swiftly away. 
She then came and seated herself beside her companion. 


140 


TWICE LOYAL 


For a little while there was absolute silence. All at 
once, turning her beautiful face appealingly to him, she 
said : 

“Will you help me, Mr. Neville? I am in a di- 
lemma.” 

Taking her little hand in his strong clasp, he said : 

“ I am ever at your service, Catherine.” His dark, 
handsome face was close to hers ; in the luminous eyes 
was an expression he no longer tried to conceal. 

“ Something very strange has happened, and though 
you may censure, you will not betray me?” — a ques- 
tioning look in her eyes. 

“ I came here as your friend, Miss Hunter, and in 
defiance of anything you disclose, I will prove my sin- 
cerity.” 

“ I am inexpressibly grateful to you, Mr. Neville ; and 
will now reveal to you that which I must.” 

Catherine then gave him a detailed account of the 
anxious hours that her mother and Dilcy had spent at 
the wounded officer’s bedside, and of her own helpful 
assistance in the sick-room. His face flushed, while 
into his eyes there stole a pained expression. 

“ Will you grant me a favor for my dear father’s 
sake? Will you help me save Major Clark?” 

Alas, the dream of years was shattered ! The fire of 
hope kindled within his breast was smothered. She 
whom he had pictured as his future wife had asked him 
to shield an enemy of war for her father’s sake. 

“ What if I refuse your request ? ” he asked, with a 
forced smile. 

“ Then I must depend on my own strength and cour- 


TWICE LOYAL 


141 


age. I have a plan made for his escape, which I hope 
you will make no effort to prevent.” 

The white hands were clasped droopingly before her; 
a wave of scarlet overspread her cheek; her voice be- 
trayed something of the turmoil within. 

“ Is this Yankee major so much to you, Miss Hun- 
ter, that you would court danger and criticism for his 
sake P ” 

“ My duty I will not shirk, neither from critic dart 
will I flinch in my loyalty to this noble man who saved 
our home, — and yours as well, Colonel Neville, — from 
destruction.” 

There was no sign of embarrassment in the beautiful 
delicacy of the face upturned to his. The flashing 
light had leaped into her eyes. A triumphant smile 
curled the beautiful lips with scorn. In all the witch- 
ery of her youthful loveliness, she stood before him a 
woman of marked individuality, a prototype of her 
father, possessing great strength of character and un- 
swerving principles. 

“ Forgive me, Catherine ; I did not intend to wound 
you. I am at your service, no matter what the cost. 
You can trust me. I am ready to move at your bid- 
ding.” 

And Neville, with this assurance, took his leave, to 
return the next day to learn what Catherine’s plans 
might be. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


The declining rays of the afternoon sun poured a 
flood of glory through the windows of the richly fur- 
nished parlors. On an exquisitely embroidered divan 
drawn beneath a life-sized portrait of Catherine Hun- 
ter, painted by a renowned artist while in Paris, re- 
clined the original, — more beautiful even than the like- 
ness on the canvas above. An easel before her sup- 
ported a partially finished sketch ; seemingly her fingers 
had forgotten their task. An expression of intense 
sadness marked her face, intermingled with deeper 
shades of thought. 

The sound of the heavy brass knocker on the door 
caused her to start; and presently Colonel Neville was 
ushered in. He came over to where she was sitting and, 
despite the jealousy now welling up in his own heart, he 
could not help honoring her generous purpose. 

44 Are your plans formed, Miss Hunter, for spiriting 
away your captive? 99 he asked coldly. 

Her answer, though somewhat strained, was firm: 

44 Yes, everything has been arranged. We will go to- 
night.” 

44 You, Catherine, you go? You do not mean to let 
this mad infatuation for the man tempt you to such 
rashness ! ” His hands fell heavily upon the shoulders 
of the girl, who had risen and was now standing proudly 
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TWICE LOYAL 


143 


before him. She did not wince, though his words 
probed deep. 

“ I do not comprehend your meaning, Colonel Ne- 
ville. Please explain,” she said, stepping back a few 
paces. 

“ Only one explanation can suggest itself, — that you 
are his promised wife, and as such will brave any dan- 
ger.” 

“ Why are you suspicious of my motives? Your ac- 
cusation is utterly without foundation, Colonel Neville. 
Would it not be unwomanly, nay, inhuman, to deny 
mercy to this man, who protected my father’s family, 
and yours, too?” 

Neville stepped to her side, and laying his hand rev- 
erently upon her head, he said: 

“ God helping me, Catherine, for your sake, I will 
shield this helpless soldier with my life.” 

He crossed hurriedly to the open window to conceal 
his emotions. In the distance rose the beautiful but 
partially dismantled city. The sun, slowly dropping 
beyond the undulating hill stretching westward, flashed 
a parting glow over the receding earth; the far-off 
river rolled in molten gold; the towering pines caught 
the last beam as it lost itself in the unknown space. 
At length there was a light touch upon his arm. Then 
a musical voice said: 

“ Thank you, Mr. Neville. I know I can trust you. 
I shall never forget your kindness and the sacrifice you 
make in lending your assistance to an enemy of war. 
I am aware of the great danger to which you will be ex- 
posed.” 


TWICE LOYAL 


144 

“ Should I be captured while aiding in the escape of 
this Union officer, I shall be court-martialed as a 
traitor to the Confederacy,” he replied carelessly. An 
expression of agony swept Catherine’s face. 

“ God keep you from such a fate ! ” she replied. 
“ You will never know what it cost me to ask this of 
you.” 

“ Catherine, there is no sacrifice too great for me to 
make for you. I will comply with your request, and be 
here at midnight to carry our your plans.” 

Neville stooped, and touching his lips to the white 
hand, walked away. At the door he paused, and glanc- 
ing back, saw the girl for w r hom he was risking so much 
enveloped by the red glow. Beautiful she looked 
standing there robed in simple white, her abundant hair, 
which had become unconfined, falling like a golden web 
over her rounded shoulders ; her sweet eyes portrayed 
despair. 

On the piazza Robert was met by Frankie Carey. 
Together they went down the steps, and out to where 
his horse w r as tied. The noble animal whinnied at sight 
of his master, and when the girl patted his arched neck, 
he affectionately rubbed his nose against her shoul- 
der. 

“Colonel Neville, will you return to-night?” 
Frankie looked meekly up. 

“ Why do you ask? ” was his evasive answer. 

“ Because Caddie depends so entirely upon you,” she 
answered. 

“ Why did you not tell me that you had captured a 
Yankee? ” — looking her straight in the eye. 


TWICE LOYAL 


145 


“ I promised on my honor to withhold the secret from 
you.” 

“ Which was very unjust to me, Miss Carey.” This 
formal manner of addressing her caused her to become 
antagonistic. 

“ I can’t see what difference it would make, Colonel 
Neville, since there has been no lack of courtesy shown 
you. Caddie has been exceedingly attentive, while I 
have managed to keep that vixen governess from mo- 
nopolizing your company by keeping her over-hours 
with me in the study room, translating intricate French 
sentences, demonstrating theorems in geometry, and ex- 
plaining the eccentricities of the principal planaloids, 
and so on. To say the least, you’re unappreciative l ” 

After which outburst, Miss Carey subsided. 


CHAPTER XXV 


A few minutes before twelve o’clock that night a 
carriage, followed by a silent horseman, passed through 
the rear gate at Myrwood, in the direction of the negro 
quarters. The sound of crunching wheels through the 
gravel had scarcely died away when the figure of a man 
rose from a crouching position behind the smoke-house, 
and darted away in the direction the vehicle had taken. 
A few moments later the moon rose, shedding a mellow 
light across the midnight world. Passing the village 
of white cabins, the line of dense forests was soon 
reached, and the carriage, with its occupants, and the 
silent horseman were soon enshrouded in the silent 
gloom of the great trees. Catherine Hunter, seated 
with her cousin opposite the man reclining among pil- 
lows, was busy with her thoughts. What if they were 
overtaken, and the brave man riding by the carriage 
as their protector should be arrested as a traitor? She 
thought of the love that might be hers, of the great 
danger to which he was subjecting himself for her sake. 
The carriage came to a halt, and Ezra who, since black 
Caleb’s departure, had taken upon himself the duty of 
coachman as well as butler, was heard to say: 

“ What’s yer sharp eyes a-seein, dat yu dun stop so 
sudden? Gee-up, Prince! Don’ yu understan dat 
dar’s no time ter vestigate der shadurs dat’s movin’ 
spook-liak fru de trees?” 


146 


TWICE LOYAL 


147 


The horses started forward and moved briskly along 
over the white-sand road. The breeze from the south 
filled the air with sweet odors ; the silence seemed to en- 
velop them, and only the droning voices of insects and 
the mournful soughing of the wind through the pine- 
trees disturbed the stillness. 

Passing from the forest, they came to a little stream. 
The horses plunged into the shallow current, throwing 
up showers of spray. Once, as they passed a cabin, 
there was a great barking of dogs; and a few minutes 
later a man came out of the house to watch the silent 
travelers as they climbed the hill beyond. Coming to 
the broad road they passed a clump of wild cherry 
trees. Soon they turned into a narrow lane that led 
up to the house where lived Dick Hunter. The eastern 
sky was just beginning to show the first glimmer of 
dawn. The plumage of a peacock that was perched 
on a limb of a china tree that grew close to a fence- 
corner showed brilliant in the reddening dawn. Over 
all there was an air of peace and quiet. 

The carriage drew up and stopped at the front gate, 
and Dick Hunter, the freedman, came out to meet them. 
Colonel Neville assisted Catherine and Frankie to 
alight ; then, with the help of Dick he supported Major 
Clark to the house ; which was a plain one-story, 
weather-board building, divided by a hall, on either side 
of which were two rooms. Off to one side of the house, 
some two hundred yards, was the orchard, which was 
now loaded with a promise of luscious fruit. A well- 
kept flower garden surrounded the three sides of the 
dwelling. A portion of the paling bore up alternately 


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TWICE LOYAL 


its load of flowering honey-suckle and climbing roses. 
There were beds of hollyhock, bright red larkspur, and 
red and white verbenas. Early though the hour, the 
colored hostess had breakfast on the table soon after 
the arrival of her guests. How delicious was the corn 
bread, fried chicken, and rye coffee to the hungry 
travelers this early summer morning. Aunt Sarah 
stood at the back of Catherine’s chair in readiness to 
pass the coffee, as the girl poured it into the white 
cups, while Uncle Dick helped the bountifully filled 
plates in front of each person. It was a breakfast not 
to be forgotten soon by Robert Neville. Sitting oppo- 
site Catherine he watched her as she deftly added the 
golden cream and plantation sugar to each cup of the 
pale-brown liquid before her. The meal finished, all 
but Major Clark went out on the piazza, to watch the 
coming of the sun. When the horses had been fed, 
Catherine Hunter and Frankie Carey bade Ma j or Clark 
good-bye, then, entering the carriage, they were soon 
on their way home. Colonel Neville remained for a few 
minutes’ chat with the convalescent ; then, mounting his 
horse, he galloped away in an opposite direction from 
that which the carriage had taken; he having business 
wuth the overseer in charge of his river plantation, 
which would detain him most of the day. When the 
carriage was about three miles from Dick Hunter’s, 
Ezra leaned over the side of the driver’s seat and, in a 
low voice, said: 

“ Hyer cum’s er man on hossback ! What yu-all 
gwine do ifi’n hits Capin Farnam cornin’ arter yu? ” 

There was a suspicion of sudden ague in the old ne- 


TWICE LOYAL 


149 


gro’s voice. The horses were now walking slowly 
through a stretch of marshland, wherein from its boggy 
earth grew great numbers of low palmettos intermingled 
with fern and moss. The horseman, drawing near and 
stopping alongside the carriage, proved to be Roy 
Banes, who said that he had just come from Myrwood 
where he had been informed that three Confederate sol- 
diers had searched the house with Mrs. Hunter’s per- 
mission. 

“ If Captain Farnam doesn’t get a scent of the new 
trail I reckon the Yankee might yet make his escape,” 
he added reassuringly. 


CHAPTER XXVI 


Going home that night, Robert Neville went to his 
room, and seating himself before the window, looked out 
into the gathering darkness. His thoughts were of the 
journey of the night before, and of the girl for whom 
he had braved the peril. 

“ Strange,” he mused, “ what influence love has over 
the actions of man ! ” 

Had he not for the love of country gone forth to 
battle with the enemy, and for the love of a woman, a 
few hours since, protected the enemy. He retired and 
slept soundly, and as was his custom, arose early the 
next morning and went below. He met William in the 
hall with a bit of paper in his hand. 

“ Good mawnin’, Marse Robert, I foun dis note un- 
der de hall do when I opened hit ’while go. I wus jis 
goin’ up ter yo room when yu ’peared at de haid ob 
de stars,” he said, handing a slip of paper to the young 
master. 

The writing was scarcely discernible, but the mes- 
sage was clear enough to show that it was a warning. 
Neville read it over several times, an angry frown gath- 
ering on his brow. The only word he uttered as he 
folded it and put it in his vest pocket was: 

“The cowardly dog!” Then he called: “Wil- 
liam!” 


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151 


“ Yes, sah.” 

44 Did you observe any tracks in the yard? ” 

44 No, sah ! But as I wuz stoopin’ down ter pick up 
some daid leaves dat had drapped from de red velvet 
rose bush I spied dis scrap,” taking from an inside 
pocket a piece of paper and holding it up. 

44 Give it to me and say nothing to the servants re- 
garding the matter. Promise me you will not speak of 
it to my aunt.” 

44 Yu can ’pend on me, Marse Robert. I’se gwine 
keep my mouf closed. Case de foldin’ of dat scrap ob 
paper I considers a secret twixt me an’ yu.” 

Robert Neville went out for the stroll that was his 
custom to take before breakfast. Walking leisurely, 
his mind revolved rapidly. He finally seated himself on 
an iron bench near a fountain, the spray of which 
sparkled brilliantly in the early morning sunlight. 
Taking the bits of paper and fitting them together, he 
managed to decipher these words : 

“Colonel Neville, it is known that you aided in the escape of 
Major Clark from Myrwood; therefore you are a traitor to the 
Confederacy. As you value your life, you had better leave at once 
and join your regiment at the front. You are watched. 

A Friend.” 

At sound of the breakfast bell he returned to the 
house. His aunt, noticing his silence during the meal, 
wondered what had come over him. Having business 
in town he rode away an hour later to stop on his re- 
turn home at Myrwood. He was disappointed to find 
that Catherine Hunter and Frankie Carey had just left, 
so Ezra stated, for a ride over to Dick Hunter’s. 


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Miss Gibbs, being at leisure and on the watch, inter- 
cepted the young officer as he was turning to go. 

44 I am pleased, Colonel Neville, that an opportunity 
is granted me this morning whereby I may enjoy a 
social hour in your company,” said the scheming wo- 
man. With no available excuse to offer, Mr. Neville 
resigned himself to the inevitable. 

As the girls were returning home in the late after- 
noon, — Frankie, some distance ahead of her cousin, — 
Catherine’s attention was attracted by a crackling 
sound which came from the dense woods. Her eyes 
soon fell upon the skulking form of a man, who was 
peering out of the thicket. Startled at the sight, a 
feeling of terror seized her, and she urged her horse 
forward. Coming up alongside of her cousin, she was 
careful not to mention the matter. That night at the 
supper table Miss Gibbs was jubilant, taking particu- 
lar pains to refer to the pleasant hour spent with Colo- 
nel Neville. She finally ventured to question the young 
ladies regarding their ride. 

Frankie, who was aware that her cousin suspected 
the governess as being the person who had reported to 
Captain Farnam the hiding-place of Major Clark, 
flashed at the sanguine lady a thrust: 

44 1 have heard said, Miss Gibbs, that curiosity is 
characteristic of women, some of whom, though skilled 
in the art of extracting secrets, sometimes show very 
little tact in retaining them.” 

44 Your insinuations are most flattering, Miss Carey.” 
The governess’ face was flushed. 

44 1 make it a point never to flatter friend or foe, 


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Miss Gibbs,” replied the girl unflinchingly, as she arose 
and left the table. 

Ezra, returning from town at dusk the following 
evening, was overtaken by Captain Farnam, who plied 
the old negro with questions regarding Major Clark. 
He told him if he would reveal the Yankee’s hiding- 
place that he would get the reward offered, whereupon 
Ezra replied: 

44 I doan know whar dat major is, I doan, Capin 
Farnam. Nebbar laid eyes pon him ez I knows of.” 

44 Do you suppose that you can make me believe that 
lie, you black rascal? I am aware that he is no longer 
a guest at the Hunter mansion, but is in hiding some- 
where in the vicinity, — and by the Eternal ! — he will 
be captured, dead or alive by me yet,” he swore, as he 
rode off. 

Arriving home, Ezra lost no time in finding Catherine 
and relating to her the interview that had taken place 
between himself and the Confederate captain. He then 
warningly said: 

44 I tells yu, Miss Caddie, dar’s a skunk bout dese 
premises somewhar, an’ I has my pinon who de pusson 
is dat’s makin’ de smell. I’se told Dilcy time pon time 
ter w^atch out fer dat govness ob Miss Frank’s. Yu 
jes mine what I say, honey, dat ’oman an’ her hip- 
poty-hoppoty bruddah hain’t prowlin’ roun heah fur 
nuthin.’ Dar’s as much diffunce in de principals ob 
dem two Nortners an’ de gemman which we stole way 
from heah las week, ez dar is in er yaller jacket an’ er 
butterfly.” 

44 It is your opinion, then, that Miss Gibbs is 


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the instigator of the suspicion resting upon us ? ” 

“ Who else, Miss Caddie, ceptin’ her an’ dat lame 
Ethuns, had de optunity ter fine out whar dat ofcer 
was hid? ” 

“ Which is very true, Ezra ; and yet I am at a loss 
to know how she learned of his presence in our house.” 

“ Dat ’oman’s nose is jes ez keen on de scent ez er 
bloo<j houns, an’ when her eyes am asleep, dem ears of 
hern am erwake,” said the negro man, batting his eyes. 

“ I am afraid,” said Catherine, “ she will cause us 
trouble yet.” 

“ Why doan’ Missus turn de low-bawn trash outen de 
house befo’ dey duz enny moah divilmint? ” 

“ Mother is not suspicious of Miss Gibbs, Ezra. She 
will not censure without positive evidence.” 

“ Dat is jus de trubbel wif Miss ’Lisbeth. She neb- 
ber could see de wrong side out ob people, like Marse 
Thomas. Dar wus a man, Miss Caddie, dat could size 
up er pusson ter perfection. Dar was no foolin’ him in 
de cullah ob de blud.” 

Frankie, escorted by Colonel Neville, coming through 
the yard, attracted the attention of Catherine and 
Ezra, standing in the shadow of a large crepe myrtle 
tree. The maiden’s heart gave a bound at sight of the 
magnificent figure walking so proudly erect beside her 
cousin. 

“ Better go meet Marse Robert, Miss Caddie, case 
he’s nebber gwine ter sleep wif out seein’ yo putty face 
ebry day while he’s home.” 

A few moments later the girl met Robert Neville in 
the parlor. 


CHAPTER XXVII 


Frankie Carey had been confined to her room sev- 
eral days with chills, and Catherine, having heard noth- 
ing of the invalid at Dick Hunter’s, started off with a 
feeling of timidity one afternoon to make a brief call 
at the freedman’s house. She had not been to see Ma- 
jor Clark since the day on which she had been startled 
by the face peering out from the underbrush near the 
roadside. The woods were beautiful and filled with the 
odor of wild flowers. Climbing honeysuckle, and white 
flowered dogwood greeted her from all sides. 

Coming to a branch, beyond which was a stretch of 
dense woods, she stopped to drink in the beauty of the 
quiet scene. There was nothing to break the stillness 
of the peaceful world, except now and then a gamboling 
perch would dart above the water, and splash back, 
sending little eddies athwart the stream. She then en- 
tered the woods, her horse walking slowly through the 
heavy sand-bed. She thought of the man who would 
soon return to the dangers of the battle-field, possibly 
to receive a mortal wound, — for the deadly missiles of 
war are not respecters of persons. Suddenly her 
horse threw up his head and started violently. Cath- 
erine turned, with a frightened look; when from out the 
almost impenetrable thicket a man sprang, catching 
her horse by the bridle. 


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“How dare you?” she cried, recognizing Ethan 
Gibbs. 

“ I dare anything for a word with you, Miss Hun- 
ter ; and now that you are within my power, I will force 
upon you a proposal of marriage, which I hope you 
will wisely accept.” 

Thoroughly aroused, Catherine raised her whip, giv- 
ing him a stinging blow across the hand that grappled 
the rein. Her horse free, she urged him forward ; but 
the man, recovering himself, sprang and caught the 
bridle again. 

“ Your presumption, Mr. Gibbs, I dare not believe,” 
she said, her eyes flashing. 

“ A man of wealth can afford to presume. Do you 
not realize, Catherine Hunter, that I have a fortune in 
cotton and gold, to lay at your feet? Consent to be- 
come my wife, and I will make you one of the richest 
women in the South, — after she is whipped.” 

“ Do not think to tempt me with your ill-gotten 
wealth. Coward that you are, Ethan Gibbs, I would 
not marry a man of your type, if he owned millions.” 

“ You love Colonel Neville, Miss Hunter. A word 
from me will place him before the authorities. He 
aided you in the escape of that Northern officer a week 
ago to-night. Now, since you refuse to be bought with 
money, perhaps the life of this gallant lover of yours 
will turn the tide in my favor. You have your choice; 
what will you do: Save the life of Colonel Neville by 
consenting to become my wife, or will you, by refusing 
to comply with my request, force me to expose him? ” 

They did not hear the powerful hoofs of Robert 


TWICE LOYAL 


157 


Neville’s horse ; and he was upon them before Catherine 
could reply. 

“ You cowardly cur, what do you mean by intercept- 
ing unprotected ladies,” cried the infuriated young 
colonel. 

Ethan’s face grew ashen with terror. His fear of 
Colonel Neville could not be described. With one bound 
he disappeared in the woods, utterly forgetting his 
lameness in his expectation of being pierced with bul- 
lets as he ran. 

44 Was that coward annoying you with a proposal? ” 
questioned Robert, turning to the girl. 44 1 have long 
suspected that he loved you.” 

Catherine glanced shyly at her companion, and said: 

44 Yes, he has been very persistent, and I am afraid 
it will not stop here; he intends to betray you. He 
has watched our movements.” 

A look that was puzzling came into Robert Neville’s 
eyes, — a look that had caused many a strong man to 
quail. 

44 1 will see Mr. Gibbs this evening. May I accom- 
pany you home? ” 

The sun was now slanting over the tall pines, and the 
long white stretch of road before them was in shadow. 
Turning their horses’ heads the two rode slowly on. 
Not once did they refer to the recent disagreeable en- 
counter. 

Ethan Gibbs did not return to Myrwood that night. 
He found it necessary to leave the next day for an in- 
definite period. 


CHAPTER XXVIII 


It was a pleasant morning that Robert Neville rode 
over to Dick Hunter’s, to inquire after Major Clark. 
On the morrow he would leave home to join his regi- 
ment at Richmond. He had met his rival in love and 
war but once, and that on the night when, acting as 
body-guard to him while being spirited from the Hun- 
ter mansion to the humble cottage of the freedman. 
Through the cool woods Neville rode this cloudless day, 
his hat pushed back from his forehead, while his gaunt- 
leted hand rested on the bridle. Leaving the majestic 
pines, which rose like so many columns in the great 
cathedral of nature, he soon came to a creek. Cross- 
ing the bridge, he rested under the shade of a spread- 
ing magnolia whose beautiful wax-like blossoms filled 
the morning air with fragrance. As he waited in this 
sylvan spot, his thoughts, accompanied by the vibra- 
tory notes of a wood-lark, were of Catherine Hunter. 
The girl was certainly a puzzling mystery. He had 
been in her company every day for the past month, yet 
he was unable to read her heart. At times the dazzling 
possibility that she cared for him made him almost in- 
sanely happy, and then, again, his hopes would vanish, 
life taking on a darker aspect. 

Starting up his horse, he rode at a gallop along the 
moist road, dodging now and then the overhanging 
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159 


fringe of moss suspended from the boughs of the an- 
cient oaks. Coming to a long hill he slowly ascended; 
then cantered down the shaded road that led to the cot- 
tage. As he turned into the lane he noticed Cath- 
erine Hunter’s little mare hitched near the front gate. 
His face flushed. 

Dismounting and throwing the bridle across the 
horse’s neck, he led him under a large china tree and 
stopped. 

He had not long to wait ; for soon there came through 
the dense shrubbery the tall form of Major Clark, 
walking beside Miss Hunter. Catherine’s voice, low 
and sweet, came to his ears. Standing as it were trans- 
fixed under the spreading branches of the tree as they 
drew near, the pure Saxon beauty of the Northerner 
aroused a feeling of jealousy within the heart of the 
tall, handsome Southerner such as seldom comes to 
man. With heart pulsating, he noticed the light hair 
that curled about the broad, almost transparent fore- 
head, the aquiline nose, and the full projecting chin, 
that told the man’s strength of character, when sud- 
denly his dark, splendid eyes caught the dazzling blue 
orbs of the Union officer. Catherine was not slow in 
recognizing Colonel Neville’s profile through the tan- 
gled honeysuckle, and when he tied his horse and came 
through the low gate up to where they were standing, 
she blushingly said: 

“Had I anticipated your coming. here to-day, Mr. 
Neville, how pleasant the ride would have been in your 
company.” 

“ Had you suggested companionship last night when 


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I left Myrwood I would very certainly have offered my- 
self as your escort.” 

Just then Frankie Carey came toward them with a 
basket of fruit gathered from the orchard, crying out: 

“ O Colonel Neville, you gave me quite a scare ! I 
at first thought Captain Farnam had ridden over for 
a tete-a-tete with our prisoner here! I hope you are 
not the bearer of tidings that will cause us alarm.” 

“ My visit this morning is merely a farewell to Major 
Clark. I leave to-morrow for Richmond.” 

Catherine, who had stepped slightly back to where 
there was a jasmine hedge, turned almost as white as 
the waxy blossoms that surrounded her. The change 
in the girl was noticed only by the speaker, who was 
watching her as he spoke. 

“ I am very sorry that the time has come for your 
leaving home, Colonel Neville; and yet I feel that the 
place for every true Southern gentleman is at the front. 
The South is in sore need of every son of her soil. If 
I might be transformed by some good fairy, into a 
trousered youth, how willingly I would go to fight for 
her cause,” said Frankie with intensity. 

“ The strenuous times and repeated repulses tend not 
to destroy your patriotism,” replied Colonel Neville. 

“No, indeed, sir! My enthusiasm remains at the 
boiling point, and will never wane until the South be 
swept by an avalanche from the North, that will bury 
her beneath her frozen foe,” and the girl looked defiant. 

“ Barring the possibility of such a calamity, little 
rebel, what are your plans for liberating your captive 
here ? ” 


TWICE LOYAL 


161 


“ It has not occurred to me that this Yankee desires 
his liberty,” said Frankie, her eyes sparkling with 
mirth. 

44 Unfortunately, a man’s wishes cannot always con- 
trol his actions and I, like Colonel Neville, feel that 
the time has come when I must make an effort to join 
my comrades in war,” said Major Clark. 

44 Perhaps you do not realize that your escape from 
this hot-bed of secession will be almost an impossibility, 
Major Clark; and before making the attempt your 
strength should be sufficient to brave countless dangers,” 
spoke Catherine. 

Robert Neville, noting the anxiety in her tones, was 
spurred to remark: 

“Why try to detain Major Clark here longer, Miss 
Hunter, since, by your superior tact, he has twice been 
enabled to dodge the enemy? Can’t you plan for him 
a final avenue of escape ? ” asked Colonel Neville mean- 
ingly. 

Into the sweet eyes there came an expression of sad- 
ness. 46 With your promise to protect my movements, 
I may,” she replied, looking steadily at Colonel Neville, 
whose face colored slightly. 

As the trio rode homeward in the late afternoon, the 
sun beckoning them to follow in its westerly course, 
no mention was made of the departure on the morrow. 
Frankie was jubilant, Catherine exceedingly quiet, and 
complained of a pain in her head, which caused Robert 
Neville to be concerned. Arriving home, Catherine 
retired early to her room, where on her snowy bed she 
tossed restlessly throughout the night; and when the 


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morning had come, it was discovered that she had fallen 
into a heavy stupor. Doctor Jordon was hastily sum- 
moned to her bedside; and when, some hours later, 
Robert Neville came over to say good-bye, he was met 
by Frankie, who, with tears in her eyes told him that 
her cousin was threatened with brain fever, and that 
no one was allowed in the sick room. 

Going into the parlor, Mr. Neville plied the girl with 
questions. In expressing his opinion regarding the 
sudden attack he thought possibly the announcement 
of Major Clark’s contemplated escape might have 
caused a shock. 

44 Colonel Neville, you do not deserve the love of my 
noble cousin, and should I ever commit the error of 
loving a man who is absolutely incapable of seeing any 
better than a burrowing mole, I hope I may walk 
through life a mummy-dried maiden of celibacy.” 

44 My sight, Frankie, has been sufficient to pierce the 
heart of Major Clark, and if he be not in love with 
your cousin, then I have failed to judge aright.” 

44 If your supposition be true she is innocent of the 
knowledge, and any sentiment on his part will never be 
reciprocated.” 

44 What proof have you for this assertion? ” 

44 The knowledge, sir, that her invaluable love is 
yours.” 

44 1 can’t bring myself to think, Frankie, that 
she cares for me other than a sort of appointed 
brother.” 

44 Girls do not turn white and come near to fainting 
when under the impression that their brother loves an- 


TWICE LOYAL 


163 


other. Neither do they, when thinking they are not 
observed, kiss repeatedly their brother’s picture.” 

44 Do you insinuate that your cousin ever suspected 
that I cared for another? ” 

44 Yes, Colonel Neville.” 

44 Whom, may I ask ? ” 

44 It would be indelicate for me to say,” she replied, 
slightly coloring. 

44 There is only one woman that I have ever honored 
with a tender thought, and you are aware whom that 
person is! Frankie, I have orders to leave to-day. I 
must join my regiment at once. I cannot go away 
without seeing Catherine. If anything should happen 
to her, if the worst should come, the enemy’s shot or 
shell could not find a more willing target than the man 
before you. You say she kissed my picture? ” 

44 Not a day has passed since I have been the pos- 
sessor of the one taken in your uniform, that she has 
not stolen into my room to gaze on it, and if I were 
not near, she never failed to press her lips to those in 
the picture.” 

44 Go, Frankie ; you must intercede for me. I will 
await you here, little friend. Tell your aunt that I 
must see her.” 

A few moments passed, and Frankie returned to in- 
form Mr. Neville that with his promise to keep per- 
fectly quiet he might have just a peep at Caddie. 

44 Come,” she commanded. Robert Neville followed 
her up the broad stairway into her cousin’s room. It 
was a picture that would delight the eye of the artist 
seeking fame as painter of The Sleeping Beauty. Ly- 


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TWICE LOYAL 


ing perfectly unconscious on her bed, her hair falling 
in two golden braids over the daintily embroidered 
nightgown, one white, rounded arm thrown across the 
ruffled pillow, while the long silken lashes of her closed 
eyes swept lightly the flushed cheek, Catherine Hunter 
looked angelic in her ethereal beauty. Kneeling beside 
the bed Colonel Neville gazed long and tenderly at the 
lovely vision before him. 

Tears streamed from his eyes. Frankie, standing by 
an open window, could hear the low, smothered sobs ; 
and when she told him that he must not stay longer, 
he reluctantly arose, leaned over, and pressed rever- 
ently a kiss upon the girl’s white brow, murmuring: 

“ Good-bye, my darling, I pray God, that you may be 
spared to me.” When Frankie led him from the room, 
the soldierly young form was bowed with grief. 


CHAPTER XXIX 


The threatened symptoms of brain fever were checked 
by the faithful physician, Doctor Jordon; and a week 
had barely passed since Colonel Neville’s departure for 
Richmond, ere Catherine was able to ride out in the 
family carriage. Frankie had told her of Robert 
Neville’s visit to the sick-room, and of the intense emo- 
tion expressed by him while at her bedside. Several 
days later Catherine was seated on the vine-covered 
porch at Dick Hunter’s beside Major Clark. She had 
ridden over that morning in company with Frankie 
who had gone a mile further on to visit a friend. The 
Major had improved perceptibly since that morning 
when those two had walked together down the rose and 
jasmine bordered walk to catch the dark eyes of Robert 
Neville riveted upon them, — the searching keenness of 
the brilliant lawyer and statesman reading the secret 
which his rival was preparing to disclose to the girl 
sitting now, so bewitchingly unconscious, at his side. 

“ Miss Hunter, the time has come for my leave-tak- 
ing. I am not blind to the fact, that I am subjecting 
these good colored people, who have so kindly sheltered 
me, — because of their faithfulness to you, — to daily 
exposure. Neither do I wish to incur further unfavor- 
able censure upon your household. Doubtless you will 
be surprised when I tell you that, during the blissful 
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period of my captivity, you have taught me that I 
possess a heart. Fully realizing the probable hope- 
lessness of my suit, I will risk my chances, however, 
and plead my cause. Dare I ask you, Miss Hunter, 
for that which I have never desired of another woman, — 
your priceless love? ” He spoke gravely. 

“Your avowal is, indeed, a surprise to me, Major 
Clark. I would that it had never been uttered. While 
I honor you as any lady should a gentleman who has 
been thrown on her womanly mercy, I have never 
dreamed of sentiment between us, and, if by any act of 
mine during our acquaintance you could catch a gleam 
of encouragement, I sincerely beg your forgiveness. 
No, Major Clark; I cannot give you other than the 
highest esteem.” 

Catherine’s answer was spoken in a voice whose sym- 
pathetic tones proved her sorrow. 

“No blame rests with you, Miss Hunter. I shall 
always think of you as one of earth’s purest and noblest 
of womankind ; and though you cannot give me the love 
I ask, I do not regret having known you. I trust that 
the love you deny me may be given one who in every 
sense will be worthy of the treasure. Wherever for- 
tune may lead me your memory will be held sacred.” 

How her heart ached for this highbred Northerner. 
When Frankie rode up to the gate and called her to 
come there were tears on Catherine’s long lashes. 
Strange, she thought on her way home, that she should 
be the chosen scale on which the love of two noble men, 
foes in war, should be weighed. 

Major Clark was quite depressed for several days 


1 


TWICE LOYAL 


167 


after Catherine’s refusal of his suit; but being a man 
of strong will, life again brightened as Frankie came 
daily to the cottage unaccompanied by the object of 
his dejection. It was an impossibility to be thrown in 
Frankie’s company without being imbued with a portion 
of her exuberant spirits. He soon began to derive a 
little enjoyment from her society. One day he frankly 
told her of his proposal to her cousin, whereupon she, 
with equal frankness, remarked: 

“ Well, I, at least, gave you credit of having more 
sense, Major Clark. Any idiot would have known 
where her affections were placed.” 

“ A man in love is excusable for unseemly errors, 
Miss Frankie,” was his only comment. 

Ethan Gibbs was again at Myrwood. The coward 
knew that the man whom he feared was hundreds of 
miles away. That the unscrupulous villain would not 
hesitate to seek revenge, Catherine well knew, and that 
Major Clark, whose hiding-place was no secret to him, 
w T ould be the object which he would strike, she was con- 
fident. 

A plan was immediately devised by herself and her 
cousin whereby Major Clark might be enabled to make 
his escape, — for escape he must and that soon, or be 
captured. 

Frankie, unconscious of any feeling in her heart for 
the Northerner, other than to pilot him through the 
danger-lines, hastened one morning to interview him in 
regard to the matter. Standing under the protecting 
boughs of a drooping willow, looking up into his fair, 
handsome face, she said: 


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TWICE LOYAL 


44 I have a plan for your escape, sir ; but it will re- 
quire the skill of an actor on your part to carry it 
through.” 

She then disclosed to him the role he must play in 
the 44 Drama for Liberty ” : 

44 You are expected to impersonate my aunt, who is 
about your height. In exchange for your uniform I 
will furnish you with one of her black gowns — en 
traine. Your plumed hat must be discarded for the 
black bonnet and bombazine veil, which she has worn 
since my uncle’s death.” 

44 It has ever been a principle of mine, Miss Carey, to 
sail under true colors.” 

44 Yes; but during periods like these artifice becomes 
necessary ; especially when you would throttle the 
schemes of a traitorous countryman. I would pilot you 
through flames of fire, Major Clark, rather than see 
you betrayed by another.” 

She then explained to him the treacherous character 
of Ethan Gibbs. 

44 Your object, then, in saving me is merely to outwit 
this scalawag from Vermont? ” he asked, searching her 
face, which he now discovered was tantalizingly bewitch- 
ing in its brunette beauty. 

44 I might have accepted the reward offered for your 
Yankee highness some weeks ago.” She stood with well- 
poised head, her eyes twinkling. Taking the little 
dimpled hand he said: 

44 Miss Carey, you have taught me that a lacerated 
heart can be speedily healed when judiciously treated; 
for that I have learned to love your impulsive South- 


TWICE LOYAL 


169 


era beauty, I do not deny. Can you not forget, 
Frankie, that I ever loved your cousin first and give me 
some hope of winning your heart? ” 

44 Major Clark, I would not discard the proffered 
love of a man, simply from the fact of his loving Caddie 
first; but understand me, sir, were it other than she 
who had preceded, I would disdain to follow.” 

44 Miss Hunter merely prepared the home, Frankie, 
wherein your love will shine forever. Tell me, dearest, 
that I may hope.” 

44 I really had not anticipated this from you, Major 
Clark. Oh, dear, dear, what have I done that you 
should dare presume to even think of me? I wish there 
had never been a skirmish within a hundred miles of 
Myrwood, then I had not found you.” 

44 Am I such a bear, Frankie ? ” 

44 You are worse, you are a Yankee.” 

44 1 am not responsible for the locality of my birth- 
place, dear.” 

44 Yes, I know; and I really think I might care for 
you, were you not with others trying to crush the Con- 
federacy.” They were both now standing, the full coral 
lips smiling mischievously up at him. Major Clark 
caught both the girl’s hands and drew her toward him, 
her eyes looking shyly out from under her long dark 
lashes. At last her womanly nature had responded 
to his love, the passionate utterance of which thrilled 
her with new delight. Withdrawing her hands from his 
clasp she said : 

44 What will Roy Banes think of me when I tell him 
that I have accepted the first heart laid at my feet? 


170 


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It was only yesterday, Major Clark, that he asked me 
if I ever expected to marry. I told him that if I con- 
tinued to adhere to my present views my chances for 
entering the matrimonial state seemed hopeless; asking 
me to explain my views I told him that a girl, to make 
sure that her heart was sufficiently hardened to remain 
true for all time to one mortal man, should allow that 
organ to be besieged at least with a dozen proposals ; 
that if I were fortunate enough to have one dart from 
Cupid’s alrrow come my way I would be satisfied. 
Thinking to console me Roy said that he knew of one 
proposal that awaited me in the future. Roy is so 
considerate.” And she smiled contentedly. 


CHAPTER XXX 


The summer evening was struggling with the day 
when the carriage from Myrwood, drawn by the splen- 
did black horses under the management of the tem- 
porary coachman Ezra, stopped at the crowded plat- 
form at the station, just as the north-bound train came 
puffing around a curve into sight. There alighted from 
the vehicle a stately looking lady in black, accompanied 
by a young girl. Hurriedly passing through the gap- 
ing mob, many of whom were soldiers in gray, they 
heard this remark: 

“ Who is that splendidly-statured lady with Miss 
Carey? ” 

“ Have you never met the wife of the deceased Judge 
Hunter, Captain Famam? 99 was the answering ques- 
tion. 

The ladies passed on, to enter the waiting railway 
coach. The train had barely left the city limits when 
Frankie was startled by a voice at her side. 

“ I beg your pardon, Miss Carey, but I intrude 
merely to offer any assistance that may be in my power 
to render yourself and aunt, as fellow travellers. Do 
you journey far? 99 

Frankie almost benumbed with fear sat resolute with 
uplifted head, her black eyes unflinching. She an- 
swered : 


171 


172 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ We go to Atlanta to consult with an ear specialist. 
My aunt’s hearing has become quite defective of late. 
You will therefore excuse, Captain Farnam, the intro- 
duction that courtesy demands.” 

Frankie Carey had met the Confederate captain while 
calling with her cousin at the Governor’s mansion, soon 
after his encampment in the city. 

“ I concede the disappointment in not being per- 
mitted to converse with the wife of the man who did so 
much for our State, — the one who exerted his power- 
ful efforts to arrest this war, which has instilled within 
the heart of man the unnatural thirst for blood.” 

“ A condition, Captain Farnam, easily developed in 
some,” replied Frankie meaningly. 

“ I admit, Miss Carey, to being a veritable leech with 
all its natural propensities when applied to a victim. 
Your thrust is well aimed. I am still clinging tenaci- 
ously to that Yankee Major, reported to be in hiding 
hereabouts ; and, if my informant be reliable, I expect 
to capture him in his trap not later than to-morrow.” 

With a sinking at the heart Frankie silently breathed 
a prayer for the safety of her lover. Warningly, how- 
ever, she said: 

“ Take care, Captain Farnam, that your avaricious 
informant betray you not by leading you to an empty 
trap. He that is devoid of principle is not worthy of 
trust.” 

Doctor Jordon, who had been a confidant of Judge 
Hunter’s family ever since the latter’s death, found it 
necessary on this particular night to make a profes- 
sional call at the north of the State. Entering the 


TWICE LOYAL 


173 


car from the rear, he came slowly down the aisle, to 
feign astonishment at seeing Mrs. Hunter and her niece 
aboard the train. 

“ Well, well, little Reb, a surprise it is to see you 
traveling North ! I’ll wager my saddle-bags and the 
pills therein, that you will be captured by some daring 
Yankee yet,” and his sides shook with laughter. 

“ A fate not to be envied, I am sure, by any loyal 
Southerner. What do you think of it, Captain 
Farnam? ” asked the girl, with a shy glance at the 
doctor. 

“ To be the captor would be preferable to being the 
captive,” replied the captain, seating himself beside the 
closely veiled lady. 

“Madame,” said Doctor Jordon, “you are indeed 
wise in risking some danger to consult with Doctor 
Koohl of Atlanta.” There being no reply, Frankie 
apologetically remarked : 

“ Aunt Elizabeth’s reluctance to leave home has only 
aggravated her malady; she hears only as words are 
transmitted through her trumpet, which, unfortunately, 
is packed in her trunk.” 

“ A bad case, I fear. High time she was taking my 
advice.” And the jolly man of physic rubbed his fat 
hands briskly together with an expression of concern 
on his ruddy face. 

The hour hand pointed to the midnight mark on the 
dial of his heavy gold watch, when Captain Farnam 
bade adieu to his fellow travelers. His going brought 
a wave of relief to the girl, who had exerted herself to 
bar from suspicion the man she loved. Leaning for- 


174 


TWICE LOYAL 


ward, the figure in black clasped tenderly the little cold 
hand of the brave girl, and, as if in the action of mak- 
ing known some wish, lowered the stately head and 
whispered. 

“ Frankie my noble darling, may God let me live to 
claim you ! 99 

The darkness of night gradually took on the gray 
hues of early dawn. Another hour passed, and the 
sky had become gloriously tinted. Like hope, the com- 
ing sun, was throwing its gleaming promise across the 
waiting world. 

Doctor Jordon evidently forgot his destination and 
the significance of the professional call thereto, for he 
crossed the boundary line into the adjoining state and 
continued his journey with Miss Carey and her charge. 
An hour after the sun had greeted the earth, the train 
rolled into the city of Atlanta. 

There was the usual hurry and bustle of changing 
cars. Doctor Jordon assisted the ladies to the plat- 
form, then conducted them through the moving throng, 
across a network of steel rails, to stop near the iron 
monster that would pull the line of coaches into the 
city of Richmond. Soon the conductor was calling 
out all aboard ! The tall lady in her sombre robes of 
black extended a gloved hand to the short man with 
the saddle bags, then, stooping, clasped the slight form 
of the girl to her breast. The veil was lifted and two 
faces were concealed beneath its heavy folds for barely 
more than a second. The brief communion behind that 
curtain of black was of a nature too holy for other 
than their God to witness. Another handclasp, and 


TWICE LOYAL 


175 


Major Clark in “ petticoats ” graciously accepted the 
assistance of the polite conductor and disappeared in 
the doorway of the now moving coach. The trip meant 
a perilous one to the masquerader now seeking to reach 
comrades who thought him dead. 

An hour later the Doctor and Frankie were speeding 
homeward, where they arrived that evening after a 
twenty-four hours’ journey. Under the friendly cover 
of night they walked unmolested to the waiting carriage, 
where sat Ezra conspicuous on the high seat in front. 
The Doctor helped the weary girl into the vehicle, closed 
the door, and walked briskly up the street. 

The road from town to Myrwood passed close to the 
Confederate camp grounds, and when the carriage had 
come opposite the canvassed village, Frankie’s attention 
was attracted by a commotion now in progress. 
Thrusting her head from the open window, she called 
to the old negro, who immediately stopped the prancing 
horses. 

“ From appearances over yonder it looks as if Cap- 
tain Farnam and his braves were preparing for a war- 
dance. Do you know who the victim is, Ezra P ” 

“ I clar furgot, Miss Frank, dat yuse bin gone er 
whole nite an’ day. Well, honey, dis mawnin dat Cap- 
tain Farnam cum in on de train, an wuz met at de depo 
by Mistah Gibbs, who ’companid him ober heah ter de 
sogers quartahs, whar er consurtation wuz hel’, so dey 
say, twixt de gem’n. De outcum ob hit bin dat Cap’n 
Farnam paid yo perticler frien Ethun Gibbs fifty dol- 
lahs in gold, case dat pedlar pintedly refused ter take 
our Confederate money in ixchange fur de Yankee ofcer 


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TWICE LOYAL 


dat he gwine gib up ter de thorities. Hit wuz bout de 
time dat Dick Hunter an’ his wife wuz gitin raidy ter 
eat dar dinnah dat two gemmen rode up ter de gate 
an informed Mistah Hunter dat dey had come ter make 
a call on Major Clark. Dey wuz invited in ter sarch 
de house; an’ when dey foun no signs ob a Yankee, 
Capin Farnam swore dat he gwine shoot dat Limpity 
Ethun fer lying ter him. Wif a pistol at his haid, he 
marched him back ter de camp ; an’ ter-nite dese gwine 
tah an’ fethuh him an ship him on de fust norf-boun 
train in a cage, so I’se bin tole.” 


CHAPTER XXXI 


“ Caddie, have I been very ill? ” The dark eyes of 
Frankie Carey searched the eyes of her cousin. 

“Your trouble has been an obstinate case of pros- 
trated nerves, dear, caused by the anxiety of that 
hazardous trip with Major Clark. Doctor Jordon af- 
firms that you have not lost a moment in sleep, during 
that twenty-four hours of travel.” 

And Catherine Hunter brushed the curling tendrils 
of satiny hair from her cousin’s ivory forehead. 

“ That trip with Major Clark? I do not quite un- 
derstand,” and the girl passed her hand slowly across 
her brow; then as if suddenly awakened from a per- 
plexing dream, she murmured : “ Oh, yes ; I now re- 

member the journey, and the significance thereof. It 
is all plainly before me now,” glancing shyly at the face 
so near her own. 

“ You have been happily unconscious for two weeks 
past,” said Catherine. 

“ Two weeks ! Well, what news have you of the 
war? ” asked Frankie. 

“ Nothing encouraging, I assure you, for a little 
rebel. Atlanta has fallen, and the city is now at the 
mercy of General Sherman. The refugees, numbering 
thousands, have fled, — most of them coming south- 
ward. Railroads have been destroyed, bridges burned. 

177 


178 


TWICE LOYAL 


You are, indeed, very fortunate, Frankie, in getting 
your prisoner through ere the destruction began.” 

“ My devout prayer is that he succeeded in making 
his way through the lines, Caddie, without coming to 
harm,” said Frankie fervently. 

“Frankie, you have learned to love Major Clark.” 

“ Whence turned thou to be lady oracle, may I ask? ” 

“ Your secret was known to me before he was removed 
to the home of Uncle Dick.” 

“ Was your rejection of his suit based on the knowl- 
edge of this fact? ” Frankie asked, with a smiling look 
about the corners of her mouth. 

“Who informed you there had been a proposal?” 

“ The gentleman himself.” 

“ I trust, little girl, that you succeeded in healing 
the wound in my noble major’s heart.” 

“ He insinuated as much before we parted.” • 

“ Come, Frankie, make me your confidante. I think 
there is some truth in that ancient saying that ‘ an 
honest confession is good for the soul.’ Have you sur- 
rendered to this handsome Northerner? ” 

“ I never could resist you, Caddie ; and this new hap- 
piness that has come to me remains incomplete without 
your benediction.” And there, in the sanctuary of her 
innocent girlhood, this tomboy maiden opened her heart 
to the cousin whom she had worshipped from the day 
she had been brought into her uncle’s home, little more 
than a prattling baby. 

“ It was in this very same room, my dusky-eyed 
cousin, and not so very long ago either, that you made 
a rash statement. Do you recall the words ? ” 


TWICE LOYAL 


179 


44 They were prophetic, for are you not the fair lady 
that can boast the honor of being first consulted? I 
have gathered only the fragments of your discarding.” 

44 Frankie, Major Clark’s professed love for me was 
merely an overflowing of gratitude. A man of his type, 
to be happy, should mate with one of your brunette 
beauty.” 

44 Then I take it, Miss Hunter, that a union between 
a certain golden-haired fairy and the dark handsome 
Colonel Neville would be a most perfect one.” 

44 Doubtless, dear, should he succeed in finding the 
elf,” replied Catherine, parrying the thrust. 

44 Our Confederate knight has found and long ago 
surrendered his heart to the little lady, who is no other 
than your winsome self, my petite cousin,” replied 
Frankie, who could not fail to note the blush that had 
overspread the face of her companion. 

Dilcy’s abrupt entrance into the room was a signal 
for Catherine’s departure. 

44 Go ’long now, honey, it’s ’bout time yu waz takin’ 
vo mawnin ride. I’se gwine ter stay w r if Miss Frank 
till dat good-for-nuthin Liza call me down ter supintend 
de cookin ob de dinnah. Dat niggah, Miss Caddie, 
doan know beans bout perparin’ a meal, an’ what’s 
more, she neber gwine larn. Her haid’s tu thick an’ 
hard fur enything ceptin’ ter balance er pail ob water 
on ; an’ if I wuz de Mistus ob dese premises I’d sot 
her ter de task ob totin’ water stid ob cookin’.” 

Catherine kissed her cousin and left the room. Go- 
ing below she was soon equipped for riding. Crossing 
the piazza, she was accosted by the governess, who, 


180 


TWICE LOYAL 


since Frankie’s illness, devoted much time to read- 
ing. 

“ Miss Carey’s condition is reported to be better this 
morning? ” 

“ Decidedly so, Miss Gibbs,” replied Catherine coolly, 
as she tripped down the steps. All social intercourse 
between these two was now of rare occurrence; Cathe- 
rine tolerating her former governess merely to please 
her mother, who had been kept in ignorance of the 
woman’s duplicity. 

After watching the graceful girl mount and briskly 
canter away out of sight, Miss Gibbs arose and ascended 
the stairs. Moving catlike along the corridor, she 
stopped in front of the door that opened into Frankie 
Carey’s room and was just in the act of rapping when 
her attention was arrested by words which came to her 
from within. 

“ Mam Dilcy, was it really a fact that Captain 
Famam’s men applied tar and feathers to that traitor 
Ethan Gibbs? ” 

“ No, chile, dey only hung de varmint’s effgy an den 
’lowd him six hours ter clar hesef out’n de country.” 

“ How did Miss Gibbs enjoy the public disgrace of 
her brother? ” 

“ She jis chawed her tung an’ swallowed de bitter- 
ness ob her wrath wifout eben so much ez chokin.” 

A light rap and the door was opened by the old 
negress. Miss Gibbs, smiling, entered the room. 

“ My dear,” she said, approaching the bedside, “ hav- 
ing heard this morning of your marked improvement, 
I could no longer forego the pleasure of seeing you.” 


TWICE LOYAL 


181 


“ I am happy to greet my friends,” replied the girl, 
with a touch of sarcasm in her low tones. 

“ A gloomy household we have been, Miss Carey, 
deprived of your sparkling wit.” 

66 Your brother’s abrupt departure, no doubt, has 
taken from your life all appreciation of brightness, 
Miss Gibbs.” And Frankie noted the change in the 
woman’s countenance. 

“ It is a most unfortunate affair,” said the woman. 

“ It is unfortunate that he escaped the hanging that 
he certainly deserved,” was Frankie’s spirited retort. 

Dilcy, watching the girl closely and seeing that she 
was becoming excited, brusquely interposed. 

“ Not ernother word is I gwine low pass twixt you 
two. Cain yu see, Miss Gibbs, dat Miss Frank’s gittin 
all worked up to de bilin’ pint? If dis chile gits er 
setback, hit’s me dats gwine be blamed.” 

The governess, glad to escape, quietly left the room. 

Two weeks later Miss Gibbs left Myrwood to find 
her brother, who, she said, was quite ill in a distant 
city. Mrs. Hunter, who had learned of her treachery 
through Frankie, informed her that her niece would no 
longer require an instructress. 

As soon as Frankie was able to be about, Roy Banes 
was her daily escort. There was no secluded dell or 
vine-covered cavern that they did not explore with the 
same eager delight as was their wont in childhood. Oc- 
casionally, when passing a tree of unusual height, the 
boy would challenge the girl for a race to the topmost 
bough of the lofty pine; she declining because of the 
increased length of her skirts. Sitting together one 


182 


TWICE LOYAL 


day on a rock that projected over a clear running 
stream, the water bubbling a few feet below, Frankie 
told her playmate of the maidenly love that had come 
so suddenly into her life. The boy, reaching up as if 
to strike at some unseen foe, grasped tightly the tendril 
of a wild grapevine that formed a canopy above then; 
remaining thus, perfectly motionless for several min- 
utes ; then, his hands relaxed their hold and fell nerve- 
lessly, as it were, upon his knees. Turning his full grey 
eyes upon the face so near, he said: 

“ You told me less than a month ago that you would 
never marry; now you confess to having accepted the 
first Yankee that offered himself. I did not expect this 
of you, Frankie.” There was a tinge of rebuke in the 
measured tones. 

“ I am surprised at myself, Roy ; but it is all over 
now, and I do really think I love him.” 

“ You have always been thoughtful of me, but I wish, 
girlie, that you had never come into my lowly life. 
You not only laid the foundation for my education in 
these woodlands that surround us, but here it was you 
taught me to think that you were the only girl, and 
inspired me with the hope that you would be the only 
woman when I reached manhood. You thought that 
you were only being kind to me, Frankie dear, but kind- 
ness sometimes makes a fellow wish that the devil had 
claimed the word as his own before it ever entered the 
English vocabulary.” 

“ Oh, Roy, please don’t say such dreadful things ; for 
when you grow up you will realize the folly of your 
words spoken to-day. Besides, you will soon forget 


TWICE LOYAL 


183 


this imaginary love of boyhood, and learn to love some 
other girl with the full love of a man.” 

“You are just ten months my junior, Miss Carey. 
Is the love you profess for this Yankee major imagin- 
ary? ” 

“ Roy, you don’t seem to understand that a girl 
reaches maturity several years in advance of a boy ; if 
I were to remain single until you had reached the mar- 
riageable age I would be a horrid caricature of my 
present self.” 

“ Should you reach the half century, — yes, even the 
century mark, Frankie, you would be to me the self- 
same little witch that threw her spell over me almost 
six years ago. 

“ You should reserve your compliments, Mr. Banes, 
for your future bride.” 

“ My future bride, Frankie, will be merely a mir- 
rored phantom. Had I not promised Mr. Neville that 
I would not leave college to enlist, I would leave to- 
night and join the first regiment that I thought would 
be engaged in battle. I would then endeavor to place 
myself in range of the first ball fired from the enemy’s 
gun.” 

Frankie’s face was now buried in her hands; and 
unperceived the boy slipped his knife from the pocket 
of his trousers and severed a satiny ringlet from the 
head so temptingly near. 

“ Frankie, may I keep this ? ” he asked. 

Slowly raising her head, her tear-bedimmed eyes 
rested on the ringlet. 

“ How came you in possession of that curl, sir? ” 


184 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ I cut it from your head a moment ago ; with your 
permission I will keep it as a memento.” 

“ I would have given you a curl, had you asked me. 
You have my picture? ” 

“ Yes, the one you gave me the first year I attended 
the academy.” 

Whatever more these two might have said remained 
unspoken, for a voice broke in: 

“ Frankie, it is very imprudent for you to be out so 
late. Supper is waiting, and Dilcy’s patience is ex- 
hausted. You and Mr. Banes must have been dis- 
cussing a subject most interesting, not to have realized 
the approach of night.” 

Catherine had come in search of her cousin. So, 
Roy Banes assisted Frankie from the rock, and together 
the three walked through the darkening woods toward 
the beckoning lights that shone bright through the win- 
dows of the great white structure a half-mile distant. 


CHAPTER XXXII 


On his way home that night Roy Banes could not 
help but ponder on his overwhelming disappointment. 
The loss of Frankie Carey meant the loss of future 
aspirations; the one bright star that had beckoned 
him from the night of obscurity had suddenly slipped 
from his little universe to shine resplendent in a greater 
world. He went to his room and then to bed, — but 
not to sleep; for every effort to lose himself proved 
fruitless. Turn which way he would, open wide or shut 
his eyes, the image of Frankie Carey was ever before 
him. Another hour of wakeful restlessness, and he had 
fully decided to enlist in the Confederate service. He 
arose and dressed himself, then quietly opened the door 
of his little room and passed on out through the narrow 
hall, just as the old iron-faced clock on the mantel- 
shelf in the low dining-room struck the midnight hour. 
Once a desire to look on the face of his mother rushed 
over him, but remembering that she was a light sleeper, 
for he had repeatedly heard his father remark that 
“ Polly would wake out of a sound sleep, if old Flip 
w T ould so much ez wag his tail at the approach of the 
man in the moon,” he throttled the longing, and went 
out into the night. 

Crossing the little yard, he turned into the white 
path that threaded its way down to the mill. As he 
drew near to a clump of red-haw trees memory’s light 
185 


186 


TWICE LOYAL 


flashed through the darkness, and he was once more 
a barefooted boy dipping water with his little gourd 
from the spring that bubbled up from a half-sunken 
barrel, a dozen feet or more below the haw bushes. 

He remembered that the cold clear water from the 
same spring had quenched his boyish thirst in the sum- 
mer days that seemed to him this sultry night to have 
been the happiest that would ever come to him. In a 
little clearing close by stood the worn, round block on 
which his mother had pounded the weekly washing from 
the time she came to the young miller’s home a bride 
to the present day. He remembered, too, how on sev- 
eral occasions he had taken the paddle from her tired 
hands and with youthful vigor let it fall with telling 
strokes upon the clothes, redolent of hot suds. Hear- 
ing a pattering noise, he looked around to see the 
old yellow dog, his nose close to the ground and his 
stubby tail tucked low, coming down the path toward 
him. 

“Flip, how dare you follow?” he protested. The 
dog raised his head and looked at Roy as much as to 
say he did not understand his meaning. “ Go back, I 
say ! 99 With a most dejected gait, the animal retraced 
his steps, stopping ever and anon to look back. Roy 
choked back something that seemed to rise in his throat 
and then proceeded down the narrow path toward the 
old mill. 

What boy of country origin has not recollection of 
the old grist-mill, a dingy, dilapidated, moss-grown 
concern, jarred and quivering with every revolution of 
its ponderous wheel? In some cool shaded retreat it 


TWICE LOYAL 


187 


stood where the thick interwoven branches of numerous 
trees bade defiance to the hot summer sun. Such was 
the mill that Roy gazed upon that summer’s night. 
Wiping the tears from his eyes he turned into the road 
that would take him past the skirmish grounds where 
Major Clark fell. 

As he lingered on the margin of the mill-pond, he was 
greeted from all sides by the croaking of frogs. Across 
the pond, a mile distant over a wet marshy stretch, 
he saw the familiar ignus fatuus that had remained so 
long a mystery to him. He recalled now some of the 
extravagant stories that had been related to him by 
the negroes that were wont to bring corn to the mill. 
Going farther on, and passing the strip of ground 
where the skirmish of several weeks ago had occurred, 
Roy noticed the dark-green clump of underbrush that 
marked the spot where Frankie had found Major Clark 
in an unconscious condition. The girl had exultantly 
pointed it out to him when he returned from college 
more than two months ago. A mile further along he 
had come to the forks of the road. Looking eastward 
he could plainly discern the Hunter mansion two miles 
away, — another reminder of his loss. 

Turning his face in the direction of the city, Roy 
pursued his journey. The night had slipped by, and 
the first light of day had crept over the white streets 
when he passed the academy where he had mastered the 
studies that had prepared him for college. He gazed 
up at the great brick structure with a sort of rever- 
ence: the building was as sacred to him as is a temple 
of Islam to a faithful Mohammedan. 


188 


TWICE LOYAL 


A journey of two weeks, made partially by rail and 
partially on foot, and he found himself, one afternoon 
about the middle of September, in the vicinity of Stras- 
burgh, Virginia, where Early was in position. Walk- 
ing in the direction of the straggling tents, Roy ad- 
vanced hesitatingly tow r ard a group of soldiers. Ad- 
dressing one of the men whom he took to be an officer 
of inferior rank, he expressed to him his desire to enlist.- 
The man laughed and said that he reckoned the gen- 
eral wouldn’t turn him away, as they expected to be 
engaged with Sheridan at any time and w r ould be in 
need of all the braves they could muster up. 

After Roy had been duly enlisted and had donned 
the grey uniform, he was greeted from all sides by the 
idiom peculiar to certain portions of the South, such as : 

“ Howdy, sonny. Whar did you git that uniform? ” 
While from another would come: “Howdy, sapling? 
Whar did you sprout from? ” 

Being blessed with an ample supply of good nature, 
Roy laughed at the jokes thrust at him. He succeeded, 
however, in soon gaining the good will of a young giant, 
hailing from the Shenandoah, w r ho claimed that he meas- 
ured six feet eight inches and bore the name of Bumper 
Stiles. 

Just after the sun had slipped behind the mountains, 
Roy was seated with his new-made friend on a charred 
log, Bumper listlessly smoking a cob pipe, which he 
refilled every few minutes from a much soiled tobacco- 
bag of blue jeans. 

“ What time do you turn in for the night? ” asked 
Roy. 


TWICE LOYAL 


189 


44 Wal, I’ll turn in about ther time thet yu’l be er- 
gittin up I reckon. I wuz placed on gard duty last 
week, an’ it’s er deal uv er time I hev er-keepin’ awak 
till ther day breaks.” 

44 Are there many prisoners in camp ? ” Roy was 
digging with his knife into a knot-hole where swarmed 
an army of black ants. He did not look at the moun- 
taineer as he asked the question. 

44 Wal, thar’s jes one in my tent, an’ he’s er fine fel- 
low, — he be.” 

44 Has this fellow been in camp long?” — thrusting 
the knife the length of the blade into the ant den. 

44 Goin’ on five weeks ter-morrer, ez near ez I can 
calkerlate. He wuz captured somewhere below here, I 
believe, while gittin off the train ; so the fellow said 
thet brot him inter camp. It seems he caught his foot 
in them darn’d hoops he wa wearing, and fell sprawling 
to the groun’.” 

44 A man wearing hoops, Bumper? He certainly 
must have presented a grotesque appearance.” 

44 Thar wa nuthin wrong bo’t thet fellow’s looks until 
he fell and showed his darnd blasted big feet wear- 
ing men’s shoes. He might hev walked pas ther gen- 
eral an every soldier in camp, an they’d er swore up 
and down thet he wa a widder, with his long black veil 
an black dress ; but when his feet war exposed to the 
men standin near whar he fell thar curosity wa roused, 
and he wa sent here to be examined; an’ sure ’nuf, the 
big feet turned out ter be the feet uv a man. Spunky 
he is, too ; fur he’s never yet tole why he war ketched 
in wimmin’s clothes. But it’s the erpinion of most of 


190 


TWICE LOYAL 


the officers thet he is er spy, an’ wuz makin his way 
through the lines into Pensylvany. Fur God’s sake, 
boy, what’s the matter? Yer air ez pale ez er grave- 
yard sleeper. Yer ain’t sick, air yu? ” 

“ Oh, no ; just a little dizzy, a trifle bilious, I reckon, 
— full of malaria, inoculated while sleeping several 
nights in the swamps on my way northward. Are you 
allowed to talk with your prisoner? ” asked Roy, re- 
gaining his self control. 

“ I keep him company the heft of the night ; fur it’s 
a mighty little sleepin’ he does, lemme tell you. Thet 
Yank, if he be one, is a mighty fine fellow ; an’ my heart 
gits harder an mo turned ever day agin them officers 
thet d’clar he mus be shot, if he don’t up an tell whar 
he hails from, an why he wa wearin’ hoops and petti- 
coats. I b’lieve ther time’s up fur him day arfter ter- 
morrer ; an I’ll be blamed if I don’t feel like settin ther 
fellow free and lettin the bullets take their spite out on 
me. I’d make er fustrate target, — don’t you think so, 
Chapie? ” The pipe was refilled for the fifth time. 

It was with heavy heart that Roy laid himself down 
that night on his coarse army blanket, and watched the 
stars as they smiled down at him through the shifting 
clouds; he was certain that Bumper’s prisoner was 
Major Clark, who had been captured while making his 
way through the Confederate lines. He struggled men- 
tally to conquer the selfish love that had grown up with 
him until it was a part of his physical self. It indeed, 
was a hard battle, and Frankie Carey the prize. 

He closed his eyes and grappled with the green-eyed 
monster, and when he looked again upon the luminous 


TWICE LOYAL 


191 


beauty of the heavens his better self had overruled his 
baser nature, and his decision was made. The follow- 
ing afternoon he confessed to Bumper his suspicion as 
to the identity of his prisoner, told him of Major 
Clark’s illness and escape from the far South, of the 
heroism of the staunch little rebel girl who had fur- 
nished the disguise and then escorted him in the face 
of danger part of the way to liberty. 

“ The man will die rather than make known his 
identity,” he wound up. 

“ I thot ther feller wa alright ther fust time I sot 
eyes on him ; an’ betwixt you an’ me, I’ve a haf noshun 
to take my chances an’ let him go. My heart went out 
ter ther prisner ther fust nite I wa put on watch. I 
tell you, Banes, I don’t tek much stock in this war 
anyhow ; an if pap hedn’t made me enlist, I’d never hev 
fit er day ter keep ther dam niggers mong us.” 

Roy had probed far enough ; he had struck the artery 
that would yield its lifeblood to save the condemned man, 
and before the light of day had slipped into the dark- 
ness of the night it was fully understood between him- 
self and Bumper Stiles that the prisoner would have a 
chance for his life that night. 

The cloud that had obscured the sun at its going 
down had spread, and had it not been for the glow of 
the camp-fire on the darkness that was pressing hard, 
the lingering glimpse of the departed day would have 
been more noticeable. Off to the Southwest, lightning 
was cutting the dense vapor, while from the distant 
mountains the thunder rolled sullen and muttering. 

“ Looks like God Ermighty wa goin to lend a han’ 


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to-night in this work ov our’n. Who’d ever hav thot 
an hour befo’ the sun sot thet such a storm ez is coming 
up wa brewin ; my ma alius stuck ter what she said 
wuz a ole sayin ez fur back ez her great gran’ pap: 
Thet ther Lord never done up his work by halfs ; an’ 
if this night with its pitch blackness an the pelting 
rain thet’s boun ter follow it ain’t ez fit er night fur 
our little game, then I say the Lord don’t know his 
business.” 

Bumper and Roy were standing a hundred feet or 
more from a tall sappling, and the mountaineer had 
barely ceased speaking when there was a blinding flash 
and the young tree was reduced to splinters. 

“ Its erbout time I was shoin’ up fur duty, I reckon. 
Everything erbout the camp will be fast ersleep er 
little arfter midnight; but don’t you be in a hurry an 
mek sure thet you don’t get mixed up an stop at ther 
wrong tent and spile everything.” 

“ Taps ” sounded, and the figures about the campfire 
began to disperse. Roy whispered a parting word and 
disappeared in the gloom. 

In a small tent off to the right of several more pre- 
tentious ones a man half reclined on a bed of wet straw, 
for the canvas that sheltered him had long since lost 
its water-proof tightness. To the figure pacing back 
and forth before the opening that marked the entrance 
came the deep breathing interspersed with an occasional 
sigh. Bumper knew the man within was counting the 
passing hours, each of which brought him nearer the 
morrow when he must face his doom. The electrical 
force of the storm had passed, and the rain, now falling 


TWICE LOYAL 


193 


in torrents, obscured his vision so utterly that he 
started when a hand was laid lightly upon his arm and 
a voice in whispered tones said, 

“ I am ready to relieve you.” 

“ I be blamed if you hevn’t skerred me out’in ernuther 
year’s growth, yu rascal. Now you keep yu eyes open 
while I speak ter ther feller on ther inside.” 

The tall figure stepped back a few paces and dis- 
appeared. Roy could hear the murmur of voices; and 
soon there were two forms, instead of one, at his side. 

“ Foller me like a young panther follows the old cat, 
an don’t mek any mo noise with yo feet then the little 
varmints do with their paws, an’ we may git past the 
tents without being shot,” said Bumper in an under- 
tone. 

The three moved away, no sound breaking the still- 
ness, save the steady downpour and the water rushing 
through the gullies with the velocity and roar of a 
cataract toward the creek beyond. The forward figure 
at length stopped beneath a tree, telling his followers 
to “ wait thar while I interview the pickit on watch at 
that point.” He crept on, and it was not more than 
ten minutes after his disappearance when there came 
to the two standing by the tree a noise as if something 
had gone to earth with a heavy thud, then before they 
had time to realize the significance of the sound Bumper 
was before them saying cautiously : 

“ The way is clar, an’ yer must be movin’ before the 
sentinel has time to come to.” 

Bumper’s pace was now so rapid that the two men 
in the rear were compelled to run to keep near him. 


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TWICE LOYAL 


They had gone several miles when they were greeted 
with the command : “ Halt ! ” 

The clouds had now begun to break sufficiently to 
show a few scattering stars. 

“ It’s my opinion thet yu air befo your own picket 
line, mister,” was Bumper’s low comment. “We will 
leave you at ther mercy o’ the sentinel thet is cornin’ 
this way ; then you can explain ther situation ter him.” 

The prisoner grasped the hand of his deliverer tell- 
ing him that he could not thank him in words. The 
mountaineer disclaimed all credit, and told him that the 
stripling at his side war ther one to thank ; for he it 
was that had planned his escape. 

A light in the direction of the camp which they had 
so recently left, followed by rapid firing, warned Bumper 
and Roy that they must be going, and without further 
explanation, they abruptly left, while the prisoner stood 
wondering who the youth could be that had interested 
himself by planning his escape. 

“ It won’t be long befo the woods will be swarming 
with soldiers, like so many bloodhounds arfter er run- 
away nigger. We’l hev ter travel fur our lives, Chap; 
an’ if I’ve not missed my calculation, we er goin now 
in the rite direction ter reach ther locality whar my 
folks live, — bout daylight.” 

“ How can you tell the direction in which we are 
going, Bumper, in this forest of blackness ? ” asked Roy. 

“ See thet star in the north thar, a-peepin through 
that strip of cloud? Wall, I’ve watched thet little 
fellow since I put on my first breeches, and menny’s the 
time I’ve been lost in the mountains, with never er thing 


TWICE LOYAL 


195 


ter put me on ther rite track until thet little twinklin’ 
light appeared an showed me which way wa north. My 
folks live er leetle to the south of west ; an’ if we keep 
a goin ther way we air steered now, I calculate we’ll 
show up befo pap’s door erbout the time the chickens 
air gittin of’n ther roost.” 

As they climbed the mountain silence like Egyptian 
darkness was about them. Roy had begun to feel quite 
secure when they were startled by hearing horses’ hoofs. 

“ Flop yourself down in that thar brush by the road- 
side, and don’t move a muscle till they hev passed; fur 
it may be the soldiers air on our trail.” 

The sound of the hoofs came nearer, then voices were 
heard. Much to the relief of Roy and Bumper, how- 
ever, the riders turned in another direction, and soon 
the two hiding in the bush could once again breathe 
easily. 


CHAPTER XXXIII 


The beginning of dawn revealed to Roy the grandeur 
of the mountain world untarnished in its natural sim- 
plicity. The towering trees in their majestic height 
seemed to kiss the early morning sky that seemed so 
temptingly near in its azure beauty. Off to the east 
they could distinguish a faint reddening of the sky. 
The birds had begun their symphony, — while away to 
the south, — miles it seemed to Roy, — came the dull 
reverberating sound of a cow-bell. Through the trees 
ahead they could see the blue smoke curling heaven- 
ward. A hundred or more strides brought them to a 
clearing, in the midst of which stood a substantial log 
house, which evidently, like Solomon’s temple, had 
been built without the sound of a hammer. The rough 
boards that formed the roof had not been fastened with 
nails, but by means of transverse logs placed upon them. 
A close inspection showed a wooden latch and string 
substituted for lock and key. Certainly the house 
lacked architectural beauty. A flickering light, shining 
through one of the small uncurtained windows, revealed 
the form of a woman flitting back and forth, evidently 
making preparations for the morning meal. Bumper 
and Roy stepped over the low rail fence and started 
across the yard; when a low growl warned them that 
trespassers were not allowed. Bumper whistled, and a 
196 


TWICE LOYAL 


197 


dog, — a magnificent specimen of the shepherd, — came 
bounding toward them. The sagacious beast put his 
nose close to the huge cowhide boots, and then threw 
himself on the ground in front of Bumper rolling over, 
and whining as he rolled. 

“ Up, Dempster, you cuss, en’ quit yo blubbering. 
Speak, old boy, en’ shake hands with a fellow ! Don’t 
you know how ter welcum er soldier when he gits back 
frum ther war? ” 

The dog balanced himself on his hind feet, put out 
his fore-paws until they rested in the great palm of his 
master, then barked until the w r oods resounded with 
the welcome. The front door of the house opened, and 
a man, — tall, gaunt, with straggling beard and hair 
falling well down over his neck to the shoulders, — 
stepped out upon the log doorstep, and shading his eyes, 
as it were, wdth his left hand, gazed through the grey 
dawn at the advancing figures. 

“ Howd}^ pap,” was Bumper’s greeting as he looked 
down on the old man. 

“ Sorter sprised, I reckon, to see me drappin in befo 
breakfas’. If I do say it, a little cornbread and bacon 
would taste mighty good arfter the long tramp we’ve 
hed. But my frien’ Banes here and me will hev ter 
be er-lookin out fur a place ter hide our empty stomachs 
and tired bones, instead uv filling up. Don’t tell maw 
thet ther’s company about, cause I’ve heard you tell 
her more than once, thet if er woman onct got ter 
curosty roused up, thet she’d hev ter be boun’ and 
gagged ter git it down agin.” 

Bumper then explained the situation to his father. 


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TWICE LOYAL 


“ Wall, bein yu’s already done ther dirty work, yu’d 
better be a-hidin yoselves befo the house is surrounded 
with soldiers. Thars ole Sol Peterkins two boys thet 
jined the same company thet yu did; they’ll be rite 
arfter yu an this house will be ther fust place they’l 
sarch. Ole Sol hez never got done er-bilin since I tole 
him thet he stole thet ole black ram from my flock of 
sheep, an them boys uv hisen air still on the scent uv 
thet blasted sheep that caused ole Peterkin an me tu 
quarrel goin’ on now to ten years.” 

Bumper, who was standing in the center of the room, 
his head touching the smoke hued log ceiling, was mak- 
ing strenuous efforts to displace one of the logs. 

“ Yer might ez well try to move this mountain, boy, 
ez ter budge thet log; I remember how ole Sol Peterkin 
swore till he wa black in the face, the day him and me 
put them logs thar, thet war befo yu war thought of.” 

But once again the powerful muscles were brought 
to bear on the huge log, the raising of which meant 
much to the young giant, whose life was at stake. An- 
other powerful effort, and the timber was pushed far 
enough to one side to admit the body of the modern 
Samson, who swung himself up by grasping hold of 
the rafter. He then reached down, and taking a firm 
hold on each arm of his companion he drew him through 
the aperture. The log, by the combined strength of 
the two, was then placed in position again. Soon there 
came to their ears the clanking of sabers. The soldiers 
were on their tracks ; and in a short time they came 
through the yard, and the two men in hiding soon heard 
them in the room below. 


TWICE LOYAL 


199 


“ Thar must be a dozen uv em, from the noise they 
make,” whispered Bumper to Roy. 

u Good mawnin’, suh,” said a gruff voice from be- 
low. “ These two young fellers here, neighbors of 
yourn I believe, hev bin kind ernough to show us whar 
yu live, Mr. Stiles, an if yu hev no objections, we 
would like ter look around fur two chaps thet smug- 
gled er prisoner through the picket line las night, 
when it war stormin like fury. Dave Peterkin here 
says the big fellow thet guarded the prisoner was your 
son, an the other feller wa a sprig jest out’n college, 
who sneaked into camp erbout three days ergo pro- 
fessin ter war fitin colors. From the way it looks, 
Mister Stiles, thet college chap must hev oiled your 
son Bumper from head ter foot with some sort of stuff 
thet rolled of’n his tongue like melted taller down a 
tallow dip ; but tek it ez yu will, Bumper Stiles was 
pooty darn slippery ter git past the tents an through 
the picket-line, the way he did, without bein’ shot. 
Them college fellows air mighty apt to make things 
go thar way when they are let loose. I’ve said to my 
brother Silas more than once, thet if it hadn’t been 
fur them oily-tongued rascals with thar college learnin’ 
er-scourin’ the country befo’ the war, en letin lies drop 
from thar tongues into the mouths uv the fools that 
wuz ready ter swaller them we’d never hev been in 
the muss we air now, with men er-flyin et each other’s 
throats like wild animals, en’ the whole country upsot 
from end to end. But thar they wa’, some uv em just 
er-bustin with larnin, an’ pretendin’ ter know mo than 
God Ermighty, who hed put thar brains into thar 


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TWICE LOYAL 


little heads. They couldn’t set still and let the Lawd 
take kere uv the niggers, but must set ther machinery 
ter work by greasin’ it er little with thar oily tongues. 
Then thar was the other lot er rantin about not havin’ 
enougli territory ter herd thar cussed lazy niggers 
on, an er-skeerin’ the people into believin’ thet they w r a 
goin ter be hemmed in on all sides, an’ never hev a 
show ter git mixed up agin in thar blasted rows at 
Washington. Law^d ! Lawd! if I ever git my clutches 
onto thet young scamp thets made a deserter uv Bumper 
Stiles, ther biggest bravest fellow in the Confederate 
army, I’ll pull his slick tongue out by the roots. Come, 
Peterkin, we must be hustling if we wanter ketch them 
fellers and git back ter camp befo dark. Whar hev 
you got them stored away, Mister Stiles ? ” 

44 I’ve hed nothin ter do with hidin’ them fellows 
you’ve bin er-talkin about; an’ if you kin fin ’em about 
this cabin, yu air welcome to ’em.” 

Every corner was searched. Beds were overturned, 
old trunks and boxes emptied, Dave Perkin going 
even so far as to look up the chimney. 

44 Is thar eny way ov gittin up in thet loft? ” asked 
young Peterkin. 

44 1 don’t think thars a man among yu thet kin 
budge one ov them logs. I’ve never tried ter move one 
ov ’em since your Pap helped me put them thar ; but if 
yu air anxious ter see in the lof’, yu kin tek the boards 
offen the top and look below.” 

44 It would be a blamed sight easier ter burn ther old 
shack down then ter tek them boards off, an’ I’ve a 


TWICE LOYAL 


201 


notion to set fire to it now, Mister Stiles, an’ settle thet 
old fuss betwixt you and pap.” 

“ I reckon this war wan’t brought about to settle 
old fusses twixt neighbors, Dave Peterkin ; en ifn you 
set fire ter this house jess because your pap hed ter 
swallow what I told him about stealin’ my old black 
ram, I’ll walk all ther way down ther mountin ter ther 
general’s headquarters en’ report you.” 

“ Come, Peterkin, I don’t believe a rat could even 
git up thar in thet loft, let alone a giant like Bumper 
Stiles ; en’ you air jes waistin your breath when yu 
air talkin about settin’ fire to the old man’s cabin. I’d 
never let you strike a match to do such dirty work ez 
thet; so we’d better be amovin’ on, er them boys’ll git 
over on the other side uv the mountin inter West Vir- 
gini befo we ketch sight uv ’em,” said the leader. 

After the men were well out of sight, Bumper and 
Roy swung themselves to the room below to partake of 
a hearty breakfast of cornbread, bacon, and eggs, which 
Mrs. Stiles had prepared. Fearing the soldiers might 
return, the two comrades in flight occupied the loft 
for several days, and on the night of the third day 
started westward. 

Coming to a halt about twelve o’clock before a double 
log-house fenced in by pointed pickets, Roy asked 
Bumper if he expected to put up for the night. The 
young giant’s reply was: 

“ If’n my gal’s folks will keep we-uns, ’en I low ez 
how they will.” 

“ Ah, I see you have stopped to get a glimpse of 


202 


TWICE LOYAL 


your sweetheart, I fear you are a trifle foxy, Bumper.” 

“ I reckon Mandy will be sorter glad to see me, fer 
thar wa tears in her eyes when I tole her I wa goin’ 
ter war. I’ll hev ter let them know thet we-uns air 
waitin’ ter be invited in.” 

Bumper then elevated his voice, and shouted: 

“ Hello ! hello ! ” 

A man opened the door of the log-house and stood 
peering out into the midnight darkness. 

“Who’s thar, an’ whar do you-uns hail frum? ” 
The muffled tones came through the stillness like a 
hoarse whisper. 

“ We-uns air Bumper Stiles ’en and a chum of his’n, 
Mr. Blodgett. We-uns air on ’er sort uv furlow fer 
a few days.” 

“ Yes, Sol Peterkin tole me jest yesterday thet you 
wa taken a furlow et ther risk uv ya life, an’ thet er 
scoutin’ party wa er-scourin ther mountins er-hopin ter 
ketch you an’ ernother chap thet had left with you.” 

“ Wal, they-uns heven’t ketched me yit, Mr. Blodgett ; 
an’ I’m not lowin ther man lives thet kin tek me astandin 
in my boots.” Then, lowering his voice he asked: 

“ How’s Mandy gittin along? ” 

“ She’s right smart, I reckon ; but a mite uneasy bout 
yo’ well-bein’ sence she’s heard uv yo foolhardy doin’s 
lettin your prisoner loose an’ then desertin’ the army.” 

“ I’m not worryin’ about lettin thet man hev his 
liberty, fer he w r a ther bravest bluecoat I ever faced, 
an’ ever inch uv his six feet a gentleman. Yes, sir ; 
I would hev made ther attempt to get him through the 
picket lines if’n I knowed thet I’d been shot.” 


TWICE LOYAL 


203 


66 Come in, boys ; thar’s a spare bed I reckon whar 
you-uns kin put in ther balance uv ther nite ; but I’m 
lowin } r ou’ll hev to be er-movin’ ez soon es you-uns hev 
hed a bite in ther mawnin. This place is a little public 
I’m er-thinkin fer deserters.” 

The man struck a match and lighted a tallow dip 
that stood on a mantel above a wide fireplace, where 
showed the lingering sparks of a smouldering wood fire. 
Bumper and Roy had crossed the threshold and were 
standing near the center of the room, the flickering 
light showing the crude furnishings therein. A loom, 
somewhat discolored with smoke, occupied a narrow 
space near a window, and its cloth beam was apparently 
ready for unrolling the yards of homespun that showed 
a bluish gray in the dim light. A spinning-wheel with 
a well filled spindle of white yarn stood near, and in a 
doorway a half dozen gourds, suspended by a heavy 
cord, dangled from a huge rafter, while a brace of guns 
rested on a wooden rack; a powder-horn hanging be- 
neath as an accompaniment. The floor, scrupulously 
clean, indicated a recent scrubbing. 

“ Ye’ll find a bed in the shed-room thar,” said Mr. 
Blodgett, handing the tallow dip to Bumper. 

As the boy took it, he ventured : 

“ Ye’ll call us in time fer breakfast?” 

“ I reckon ther ole dominicker rooster will let you-uns 
know when it’s daybreak. It’s a custom uv his’n ter 
begin crowin’ with ther first streak uv light thet comes 
er-peepin over ther mountins frum ther east. He mos 
generally wakes everybody erbout ther place, an’ ther 
nabors across ther cove kin hear him crowin’.” 


204 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ He’ll be er-letin we-uns know its midnite in er 
little while, I reckon, ez its agettin about thet time,” 
said Bumper. 

“ Thet rooster saves all uv his strength fer cele- 
bratin ther cornin’ uv day; he never crows at mid- 
nite.” 

Mr. Blodgett opened the door that led into the shed- 
room and bade the boys good-night. The apartment 
into which they had been ushered being less than six 
feet from floor to ceiling, Bumper experienced no little 
difficulty in his preparations for retiring. The young 
giant, unable to stand erect, made a most ludicrous pic- 
ture in his efforts to disrobe; Roy, unable to restrain 
himself, sat on a splint bottom chair, and laughed until 
tears showed in his large gray eyes. 

“ If’n I wa buildin’ a hencoop, I’d put it whar ther 
chickens could roost in it. An’ if’n I wa buildin’ a 
room fer folks ter sleep in, I’d try an’ mek it high ernuf 
fer er man ter hold his hed up, er I’d never put a roof 
on ther rafters.” 

The task of disrobing accomplished, Bumper, — mut- 
tering epithets not complimentary to the architectural 
structure of his host’s humble abode, — cautiously 
threw himself on the high bed, where Roy had already 
stretched himself. However, the weary young giant 
soon dropped to sleep, and not once did he move until 
the “ dominicker’s ” blast reverberated from the moun- 
tains, breaking the stillness. 

“ Thet rooster’s crowing would drown ther roar uv 
er cannon. You’d think Sheridan wa besiegin’ the 
mountains. Ther comes another one. Air ye erwake, 


TWICE LOYAL 


205 


Banes?” Bumper raised himself to a sitting posture 
and yawned. 

“ Awake ? I should think so. That rooster would 
awaken the dead if sleeping hereabouts.” 

The boys arose, the task of dressing proving a 
more difficult one for Bumper than had his efforts to 
disrobe some hours previous. A faint streak of light, 
coming through the small window-pane, announced the 
breaking of day ; then a voice, — vibrating, musical, — 
was heard calling. 

“ Sook cow ! sook cow [ ” 

“ Thet’s Mandy. She milks the cows while her pap 
does ther feedin. I’ll hurry an’ git out so’s ter give 
you a chance ter git yer clothes on, Roy.” 

Whereupon Bumper, glad to escape from his close 
quarters, opened the door and was soon on his way to 
the barnyard. Roy, completing his toilet, was not long 
in following his friend’s example. He went out and 
stood on a vine-covered porch that faced the east. 
Along the horizon a dawning streak encircled the bee- 
tling cliffs of the Blue Ridge, and as the sun rose higher, 
the atmosphere seemed to take on a hazy garb of trans- 
lucent, roseate-tinted folds, which expanded along the 
blue line of the range, investing them with a shadowy 
vagueness. How wonderful, thought Roy, is the mu- 
nificent manifestation of the Creator’s might! 

“ Breakfas is on ther table ; if’n yu air ready ter 
come in.” 

The genial, good-natured Mr. Blodgett stood in the 
doorway, a man of fifty-five years, a fair specimen of 
the mountaineer, who is ever ready to welcome the 


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TWICE LOYAL 


stranger that comes to his humble threshold. Roy fol- 
lowed his host to a long, low room that was used for 
kitchen and dining-room, Bumper, standing beside 
Mandy, informed the members of the Blodgett family 
that 44 Mr. Banes wa ther young man he wa travlin 
with.” 

44 Set down, boys ; we air er little late this mawnin. 
Mandy here hed ter hunt ther brindle cow befo she 
could milk. I wa sartin thet I hed closed ther bars 
ter ther cow-pen las’ nite, but I reckon I forgot an’ let 
ther will go fer ther deed.” 

After breakfast Mr. Blodgett made known his inten- 
tions to ride to a neighboring cove that morning, and 
before leaving the room he cautioned Bumper and Roy 
to keep on the lookout for danger. 

44 Thare’s no tellin’ who-all air on ther scent uv you- 
uns,” he remarked. He very well knew that hatred and 
revenge would be potent agents that would goad Sol 
Peterkin to the desperation of recklessness in his efforts 
to capture Bumper Stiles. 

44 I’m er-goin’ out ter ther barn ter rig up ther ole 
mar, fer my jant. Mandy, ye kin look efter thet pesky 
colt; an’ don’t let ther critter git its neck fas’ in that 
hole in ther manger ; and ez we-uns air well-nigh outen 
meal, thare’ll be corn to shell fer ther grist. Mabbe 
these boys heer ud like ter try thar hands et ther job, 
while yu air on ther lookout fer stragglers. Mandy, 
if’n yo see any unusual goin’s on up thar et ther cross- 
roads, blow ther old horn thar on ther wall so’s ter 
let these chaps know thet danger’s close nearby.” 
Turning to Bumper he continued: 


TWICE LOYAL 


207 


“ If’n yer hear ther horn blow, jist burrow through 
thet pile uv corn ter ther north side uv ther crib whar 
ye’ll find a half-dozen knot holes thet’l let in air nuf 
fer a dozen par uv lungs.” 

Then Blodgett filled his cob pipe, adjusted his slouch 
hat, and passed through the doorway out into the rear 
yard, then down a pathway that led to a low shedlike 
building, from which he emerged some minutes later 
leading a gray mare that whinnied and pranced un- 
easily in her efforts to get back to her sorrel colt, which 
looked dejectedly forlorn from behind the bars. Mr. 
Blodgett, anxious to be on his way, placed his booted 
foot into the stirrup, touching lightly the sides of the 
restless mare with the spurs, which seemed a necessary 
adjunct to the mountaineer horseman, and in a moment 
was pounding along his way. 


CHAPTER XXXIV 


Twilight was creeping over the hills of the Blue 
Ridge; the tints of purple, red, and amber along the 
western horizon penetrated the deep shadows that en- 
veloped the ravines. From a remote laurel thicket came 
the distinct notes of a katydid; in the barnyard the 
cow lowed for her calf and the frisky colt neighed for 
its mother. Roy Banes, sitting astride a bench, peer- 
ing through the morning-glory vine that shaded the lit- 
tle porch, saw Bumper and Mandy walking leisurely the 
well-trodden path that led to the cow-pen. The girl, 
clad in a dark drab homespun gown, carried her slight 
well-rounded figure with the grace of an empress. Her 
brown hair, waving from her broad white brow, was 
caught loosely at the nape of her neck with a horn 
comb ; ever and anon she would turn her blue gray eyes 
shaded by long curling lashes up to those of her lover; 
her scarlet lips would move, and Roy thought he could 
detect a faint suspicion of a pouting blush in this sim- 
ple mountain maid. Bumper carried the milking pail 
for his ladylove, with all the gallantry of some huge 
medieval knight. Roy thought of Frankie and of her 
witchery. 

So oblivious was he to his surroundings, that he did 
not note the manner of the rooster as he slowly passed 
to his roost, or the phosphorescent light of a firefly near 
208 


TWICE LOYAL 


209 


his face; neither did he hear the tramp of a horse that, 
coming down the road, stopped at the bars of the barn- 
lot. Obediah Blodgett had returned. The whinnying 
welcome from the mare at the sight of her colt, and the 
loud barking of the yellow hound succeeded, however, 
in arousing from his reverie the boy on the vine-latticed 
porch. The odor of frying bacon and the aroma of 
steeping coffee were a reminder of the approaching sup- 
per hour. Mr. Blodgett preceded by Bumper and 
Mandy came up the path; the girl, with her milk-pail, 
entered the house, while her father and lover lingered at 
the door-step to talk in an undertone with Roy. 

“ Wal, I low ez you-uns thought I war gone a mighty 
long time, but I hed ’er dard blasted time ’er tryin’ ter 
git ole Sol Peterkin off’n ther trail uv yu youngsters. 
He says ez how he knows you-uns air hidin in ther 
mountins somewhar here erbouts, an’ thet ur scouting 
party frum ther rigiment will be here by daylight, 
thet’l turn these hills upside down er-searchin’ fer yu. 
Yu-uns mus be er-movin’ ternite. I hev foun a 
roostin’ place whar ye’l be welcome till yu kin do bet- 
ter,” said Mr. Blodgett, preceding the boys to the din- 
ing-room, and seating himself at the head of the table. 

“ Yes; ye’ll hev to be er-leavin’ ez soon ez ther dark- 
ness will hide yu. Bumper here knows ther road over 
to Simpkins Cove, ez I low ez, how he’s ben thar mo’ 
times than once ter git his pap’s jug filled. Squar 
Simpkins’ corn juice is said to be erbout ther best in 
ther mountins,” he added, passing the heaping dish of 
fried bacon to his guest. Bumper looked across the 
table at Mandy ; tears glistened in the girl’s eye. 


TWICE LOYAL 


210 

“ What’s thar use uv ye er-spicin’ yer vitt’ls with 
them tears, Mandy? We-uns know well ernuf that hits 
Bumper’s leavin’ that’s raisin’ ther water in yer eyes. 
War times air war times ; an’ ther devils alius et his 
best when people air fightin’ an’ killin’ each other. 
Thare’s ole Sol Peterkin ’en his gang ’er hobnobbin 
with Satan this min’it in thar efforts to ketch Bumper, 
jes ter pay off er ole grudge.” 

It w r as eleven o’clock that night when Bumper and 
Roy reached Squire Simpkins’. A light streaming out 
through the open doorway revealed the form of a young 
girl, standing on the threshold peering out, as it were, 
into the blackness that enveloped the mountains. 

“ Thet’s Sallie Simpkins. She’s expectin’ us I 
reckon.” 

The words had barely been uttered by Bumper ere 
Sally was at his side. 

“ Foller me ’en say nuthin,” she whispered. Down a 
precipitous winding path she led them, — the almost 
impenetrable undergrowth and briar tangle making the 
descent a difficult one. Then, stopping before a clump 
of thickly entwined grapevines, which she deftly swung 
aside, disclosing a cavity in the side of a huge rock, 
she said: 

“ You-uns go ahead while I hole ther door open.” 

Bumper was compelled to double himself in order to 
enter, even Roy assumed a stooping posture; the maid 
followed, and striking a match, lighted a tallow taper, 
its faint rays revealing a long, low room, two sides of 
which were lined with small casks. 

“ Ther room whar you-uns air goin’ ter sleep is fur- 


TWICE LOYAL 


211 

ther ’long,” she said, leading the way through a cav- 
ernous hallway. Reaching the terminus she unbolted 
a heavy door, disclosing an almost circular room, the 
furnishings of which were rather unique. A chair made 
from hickory thongs, a table of white poplar supported 
by four polished deer horns, and a box bed suspended 
from two hooks by heavy chains were the three articles 
of furniture that became familiar to Bumper and Roy 
during the long days and nights that followed their im- 
prisonment. In the dim light Roy noted the beauty of 
the girl. Her large dark eyes glorious in their lambent 
splendor, — a girl small, graceful, giving promise of 
great womanly beauty. She reminded him af Frankie. 
Placing the dip in a small brass candlestick that 
adorned the table, Sally Simpkins, without a word, 
passed out into the larger room, closing and locking the 
door behind her. 

A streak of sunlight coming through an aperture in 
the wall hours after they had retired reminded Bumper 
and Roy that it must be time to get up, and barely had 
they dressed themselves, when a voice from the opposite 
side of the door asked: 

“Are you-uns redy fer breakfas?” 

“ Redy when ther vittls air,” said Bumper ; where- 
upon the heavy door was opened and Sally Simpkins 
told her guests to follow her. Preceding them down 
through the avenue of casks in the outer room, she deftly 
put aside the impenetrable grapevine that screened the 
doorway and ushered them out into what seemed a cav- 
ernous garden, the wild beauty and grandeur of which 
drew forth an exclamation of admiration from Roy. 


212 


TWICE LOYAL 


Again he was reminded even more forcibly that on that 
first morning at the home of Mr. Blodgett, when he 
stood on the little vine trellised porch, of the munifi- 
cence of the Creator’s power. This nature garden was 
enclosed by great cliffs, some cutting sharply against 
the blue of the early morning sky, while, from out the 
numberless fissures that seamed the rocky walls, were 
trees interlaced with ferns and vines. The sun, now 
high enough in the heavens to penetrate the shadows 
that lurked in the cool dark recesses of this wonderful 
enclosure, looked like a great red ball suspended, as it 
were, from an outstretched arm of an overhanging 
crag. 

Noting that the maid and Bumper were descending a 
steep incline of rocky steps, Roy hastened after them; 
and the trio were soon drinking water from a bubbling 
spring, which was enclosed by the half of a barrel. Off 
to one side of the spring was a niche in a rock, a large 
copper pan being conspicuous in the opening, while 
just below, a smooth shelving projection suggested a 
crude wash-stand. Taking the pan from its receptacle, 
Sallie filled it almost to the brim, — and placing it on 
the shelving rock, told Roy to wash ; the vessel was then 
refilled and Bumper’s turn came. A snowy towel was 
taken from a small crevice below the rock and handed 
to Roy, who had evidently found favor in the little 
maid’s eyes. 

The bath finished, Sallie motioned Roy to a second 
niche in the stone wall wherein rested a small mirror 
and a black comb minus some of its teeth. Informing 
the boys that she would call them when breakfast was 


TWICE LOYAL 


213 


ready, she sped, like a scampering rabbit, up the rocky 
incline. Fifteen minutes later she reappeared at the top 
of the incline and beckoned them to come. Again they 
were escorted through the vine-clad opening from which 
they had emerged some minutes before, then down the 
cask-bordered passageway they went to the door that 
was now ajar, and into their sleeping room they were 
ushered, to find the little round table bedecked with a 
white cloth, whereupon was spread a most appetizing 
breakfast of fried ham, eggs, corn muffins, golden but- 
ter, and steaming coffee. 

It was no secret among the mountain folks that 
Squire Simpkins bartered whiskey from his still to 
scouting parties from Federal forces who were ever 
ready to exchange coffee for Mr. Simpkins’ corn juice. 

After breakfast Bumper and Roy received instruc- 
tions from Sallie Simpkins that they were to come and 
go at will from their sleeping room to the cavernous 
garden, — that they would be perfectly safe in doing 
so. It was the morning of the second day of their ar- 
rival at Squire Simpkins’ that Bumper and Roy, having 
just finished their breakfasts, heard a great commotion 
above them ; they both looked inquiringly at Sallie, who 
had come hurriedly to the side of the table. 

“ Darn’t yu’uns move. They air lookin’ fer yez ; Sol 
Peterkin, an’ his men air up thar. I kin tell his voice.” 
Sallie spoke in a subdued whisper. 

“ Listen,” she added ; then clutched unconsciously the 
arm of Roy. The voices came to them, carrying these 
words : 

“ We hev tracked thim young rascals ter yo front 


214 . 


TWICE LOYAL 


fence, Squar Simpkins, ’en thar ther trail is lost. Yu 
mus’ swar thet yu hev not seen them, or we-uns will 
mek it ’er mite hard fer ye.” 

“ I swar that I hev not laid eyes on thim chaps thet 
you-uns air try in’ ter ketch. En I swar thet Mrs. 
Simpkins hez not cooked ’er morsel fer them ter eat, 
ner given them ’er place ter sleep. You-uns air on ther 
wrong track, I’m er-thinkin’.” 

“ Hit’s alius been sed ez yu wa a truthful man, naber 
Simpkins, an’ thet’s what lected yu ter ther office uv 
Squire ; but if yu don’t keer, we-uns will look about ther 
place fer ourselves.” It was Sol Peterkin speaking. 

“ I’ll show yu’uns ever nook ’en corner erbout ther 
house, hit will save yu-uns er bit uv time mebbe.” 

There was a moving of feet overhead, then the noise 
grew fainter. 

“ Be keerful ez how yu-uns tek yo breth. Ther 
hole batch uv em will be in the cave jes tother side uv 
us in a minit,” came the voice of Sallie. The girl’s 
words were uttered with an indrawing of the breath. 

Soon the sound of heavy boots on the opposite side 
of the wall caused Bumper and Roy no little uneasiness. 
Sallie Simpkins looked like a piece of statuary, there 
being no perceptible movement of muscle nor quiver of 
the eyelid. Bumper and Roy were gazing at her seem- 
ingly in a sort of hypnotic state. 

“ I’ve hed it in my mind fer ther pas’ year, Squar 
Simpkins, ez how ye hev a hiding-place somewhar erbout 
yo premises, — fer hit’s lowed up ’en down ther mountin 
thet yu distill mo whiskey then iny man hereabouts, 
’en no one’s ever seen mo then er half-dozen barrels in 


TWICE LOYAL 


215 


yo still et a time; so thar’s no tellin’ what you’re got 
hid er-way among these hills ’en crags, thet shoots up 
ter ther clouds.” 

“ If’n hit’s whiskey yu’ns air huntin’ ye’l fine a dozen 
’er mo barrels rite in this room whar yu are now 
standin.’ I’ll jes give you-uns a little mo lite so’s 
ye kin see fer yerselves.” There sounded the scratch- 
ing of a match on the opposite wall. The gruff ex- 
clamations that followed the sound reminded Roy and 
Bumper forcibly of their nearness to the pursuing 
enemy. 

“ Ye’ll give us a dram, I reckon, naber, bein’s we 
kin fine nothin’ but barrels about here.” Again Sol 
Peterkin was the spokesman. 

“ Help yoselves to all you-uns kin drink ; and tek ’er 
barrel with yu, if’n you-uns kin tote it.” 

There was a sound of gurgling, — the sound of whis- 
key being drawn from a bung-hole, — then a smacking 
of lips reverberated to the listening ears of the boys 
and girl that waited so anxiously the departure of the 
posse. The significance of the search seemed forgotten 
in the hilarious revelry that followed the oft-repeated 
withdrawing from the bung hole. An hour later, when 
the loud guffaws and the tramp of departing horses’ 
hoofs broke the mountain solitude, Roy, Bumper, and 
Sallie began to move as if just coming to life. 

With the awakening came a revelation, — Sallie was a 
strategist. The acknowledgment of Mr. Simpkins that 
he had not seen the boys explained what heretofore 
seemed a mystery to Bumper and Roy. True it was ; 
they had met none other than Sallie, she it was that 


216 


TWICE LOYAL 


had guarded their every movement and supplied their 
every want. She had outgeneraled those soldiers sent 
out to capture them by an artifice, which had enabled 
her father to declare a trick that would to all appear- 
ances exempt him from fostering deserters. 

It was the day following the visit of the searching 
posse that Roy sat on a small boulder near the spring 
watching the little mountain maid as she tripped down 
the rocky incline toward him. 

“ I’ve news fer ye,” she said, coming hesitatingly to 
where he sat. 

“ That ole Sol’s come back with the whole of Early’s 
regiment to overturn the mountain in hopes of getting 
us ? ” Roy looked at the girl with a quizzical smile. 

“ No, not thet. Hit’s this : Thet Mandy hez come 
over ter set ’er spell with Bumper Stiles. They-uns air 
coinin’ to set in the room whare you-uns sleep.” 

“ Bumper is indeed fortunate to have a girl like 
Mandy Blodgett for a sweetheart ; some of these moun- 
tain youths will come courting you sometime, when you 
are older.” 

“ I hev ’er beau alreddy, ’en I’m older now thin wa 
my ma, when she married pap.” The girl thrust one 
big toe into a small crevice of the rock that supported 
her. 

“ What’s his name, Sally and what part of the moun- 
tain does he hail from? I’d like to shake hands with the 
fellow that is fortunate enough to get you.” 

“ Hit’s Jim Keeler, ’en he’s gone off ter wa.” 

“ What if Jim never returns? ” 


TWICE LOYAL 


£17 


“ I’m not ’er-keerin,’ ” she snapped. 

“ Why don’t you care, little girl? ” 

“ Cause I don’t.” Her head began to droop, her 
dark curls falling about her face, framing it, as it were, 
like a beautiful picture. 

“ I fear, Sally, that you are not as loyal to your love 
as you are to your prisoners.” 

“What’s loyal, Roy?” she asked, her head a trifle 
uplifted. 

“ To be loyal, Sally, is to be true, to keep a promise. 
If you have told Jim Keeler that you love him, you 
should pray that he may be permitted to come back 
from the war, and that you and Jim may love each- 
other always.” 

“ I’m ’lowin’ ez I never keered much fer Jim no- 
how.” The head drooped again and a flush was notice- 
able on her face. 

“ Fickle maid of the mountain ! Child that you are, 
you know nothing of love.” 

“ Hit’s not so ; I do keer fer somebody.” The small 
brown hands went up to the picture-framed face, cov- 
ering it completely. 

“ Who is it you care for, Sally? ” Roy spoke care- 
lessly as he leaned over to examine a fern that grew 
nearby. 

“ I keer fer yu, Roy.” The confession came hesi- 
tatingly. Roy lifted his head to find the girl fleeing 
down the laurel-bordered pathway. Like a frightened 
hare she seemed. Rising to his feet, he called to her. 
She heeded him not, but quickened her pace. 


218 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ Sally knows nothing of love ; she can’t be more 
than twelve years of age.” The words fell almost in- 
audibly from his pressed lips. 

The passing days brought no change in the life of 
Bumper and Roy. Mandy came regularly to see her 
lover; Sally’s time was given mostly to her prisoners. 
Roy asked her one day if it wasn’t about time they were 
moving. 

“ Yu’d be tuk, ther minit you-uns wa out’en side uv 
here; thar air men ’er-watchin’ our house all ther time. 
I never go out thet they-uns don’t try ter mek me tell 
ez whar you-uns air hid. Ole Sol Peterkin’s sed ter me 
jes yesterdy, thet he wa sartm you-uns wa hidin’ in 
’er hole somewhar er-bout, an’ thet if’n I’d tell him 
whar, thet he’d give me ’er shoat, an’ if’n his Pete 
cumes back frum ther war, thet he’d give him ter me fer 
’er husban. I tole him ez how I want er-keerin’ fer his 
shoat, ’er his boy nurther, ’en thet if’n he wa sartin ez 
you-uns wa hid in ’er hole, thet hit ud’ be ther thing 
ter’ fine ther hole an’ stop hit up. Then he’d be sar- 
tin thet he hed yu.” 

“You are a smart girl, Sally; and Bumper and I 
owe you much.” 

“ I’m not axin’ eny pay frum yu, Roy. I’d be fer 
keepin’ yu here alius if’n yu’d stay.” 

Roy thought he could detect tears on the dark lashes 
of the maiden, as she bent forward to pluck a late 
flower that peeped from a crevice. 

“ It may be that I’ll come back some time to look 
out for you. Would you like to go to school, Sally, 
and become a fine lady ? ” 


TWICE LOYAL 


219 


“ I u’d like ter go enywhar with yu an’ be ’er lady 
if’n hit wa ter yo likin’.” Her voice had a suspicion 
of a quaver in it. 

“ We’l see what can be done, little maid, after the 
■war closes.” 

In his gratitude to the child, Roy was eager to re- 
ward her for her devotion. His love for Frankie made 
sentiment an impossibility; he regarded Sally Simpkins 
merely as he would a younger sister. 

“ I’ll be ’er spectin’ yu, Roy.” Sally had brightened 
perceptibly. 

“ I’ll come, if I live, Sally ; and take you away to 
school.” A small rock falling a few feet from where 
she stood caused the girl to look up, then exclaim. 

“ I seen er man’s head up thar ermong ther trees. 
Keep still, Roy. I low he never saw yu cause yu air 
hid in them laurel bushes ; they hev dug thar way 
through ther rocks. I’ll hev ter git you-uns outen here 
ter-night.’\ 

It lacked a few minutes of twelve o’clock. The moon 
had sunk behind the great hills that towered skyward 
in the west, and the blackness of night enveloped the 
mountains. Roy and Bumper, who had been cautioned 
by Sally to be on the lookout, were not surprised when 
the little mountain maid appeared at the door of their 
sleeping-room and bade them follow her. Passing 
through the vine-curtained doorway that had become 
so familiar to them, the trio crossed a rocky bridge to 
the opposite wall of the cavernous garden. Here 
Sally unbolted a heavy door, and conducted them 
through a large room, at one end of w T hich was a fur- 


220 


TWICE LOYAL 


nace, the open door revealing a smouldering fire, that 
flared up ever and anon through the ash-covered char- 
coal, showing indistinctly the coiled metal tube packed 
wormlike in the large tub. There was an odour of fer- 
mentation exuding from the copper still. 

“ I low ez yo pap wa et work here ter-day,” said 
Bumper in a low voice. 

“He wa up befo daylite this mawnin’, an’ started 
ther fire thar in ther furnace. He wa runnin’ ther 
still ther heft uv ther day. Sol Peterkin cum over with 
two jugs, an’ hed them filled. Pap wudn’t tek eny pay 
fer ther whiskey; he tole ole Sol thet he’s welcum ter 
hit. I low ez how he’s past them jugs mo then onct 
ter them men thet’s watchin’ our house, an’ ther roads 
here er-bouts. Pap thinks ez how they air all er-bout 
full ; thet’s why he guv Sol ther best juice he hed. He 
knowed yu-uns wud be er-leavin’ ter-nite, ’en he lowed 
them fellows wud be takin’ ’er dram ter please ole Peter- 
kin. Hit don’t tek but ’er mighty little uv thet juice 
ter keel ’er fellow over. So I’m lowin’ ez how we’ll not 
hev much fightin’ ter do ter git er-cross ter ther nex^ 
cove.” 

Out through an opening the three crawled to find 
themselves in a dense growth of underwood, through 
which, for quite a distance, they were compelled to walk 
half-bent. Bumper and Roy were glad to assume a 
standing position when they found themselves in an 
open space. 

“ We-uns air goin’ ter whar ther fust man air 
awatchin’ ; git yo pistols redy, but don’t shoot, if’n yu 
can git pas’ wuthout hevin’ trouble; ere’s ther ole bell 


TWICE LOYAL 


221 


cow. I’ll jes drive her ahead uv me, ’en yuns kin keep 
ter ther side uv ther road in ther shade uv ther 
trees.” 

Thus the procession moved on, Roy and Bumper step- 
ping cautiously. The sound of the bell reverberated 
through the dense woods as Sallie walked slowly behind 
the large red cow. After a steady march of fifteen or 
twenty minutes, the girl was accosted by a man who 
had staggered to the middle of the road. 

“ Who comes this way? ” challenged a gruff voice, 
thick of tongue. 

“ Cain’t ye see thet hit’s a cow, an’ can’t ye hear her 
bell? ” Sally snapped the words out fearlessly. 

“ I never knowed afore thet ’er cow could talk,” 
answered the gruff voice. 

“ Well, then I’m lowin’ ez ye hev larned somethin’, 
I reckon if’n you-uns can’t see thet hit’s ’er gal thet’s 
’er-drivin her.” 

“ Hit seems a lettle late fer ’er gal ter be drivin’ ’er 
cow.” Whereupon the man struck a match and looked 
at his watch. 

“ Percisely ’er quarter past twelve o’clock.” The 
muttered words were indistinct and he looked impu- 
dently at Sally, who could not help but note the purple 
redness of the man’s face, and the unsteady condition 
of his legs in his attempt to stand. It was evident that 
he had partaken of the whiskey from Mr. Simpkin’s 
distillery. 

“ Ther flare uv thet match hez give me ther oppor- 
tunity ter see yo face, little gal; ’en hits pooty ernuf 
ter kiss.” The words were no sooner uttered than the 


222 


TWICE LOYAL 


man staggered to where Sally stood and caught her in 
his arms. 

“ Lemme go, yu drunken houn’, er I’ll scratch yo eyes 
outen yo hed.” The girl’s voice thrilled with anger. 
A form sprang from the roadside. There was the 
/sound of a blow and the man dropped heavily to the 
earth. 

“ He’ll not trouble you again, Sally.” Roy was at 
her side. 

“ Ye’ve not killed him, hev ye? ” whispered the girl. 

“ It’s pretty hard to kill a drunken man. He’ll be 
on his feet before the morning breaks. Come ; we must 
be moving.” 

Roy was again at Bumper’s side, and the march was 
resumed. When they had come to the place where the 
second and last sentinel was stationed, they found the 
guard so thoroughly under the influence of liquor that 
no trouble was experienced in the passing. A mile or 
so further on Sally stopped at a turn in the road, where 
there seemed to be a crossing. Turning to Roy, she 
addressed him: 

“ I hev er uncle thet lives er short way up ther road 
thar; I’ll stay thar till pap cums fer me. You-uns 
kin mek yo way across ther mountin now, without hevin’ 
eny mo trouble.” 

Roy took the girl’s hand and told her that he would 
come again if he lived; Bumper said good-bye and they 
were soon lost in the darkness. 

They traveled the rest of the night and slept in a 
dense undergrowth until noon of the following day, 
when they again started westward; and when the sun 


TWICE LOYAL 


223 


had sunk below the horizon and they knew they were 
well into West Virginia, they decided they would ask 
for lodging at the first house they came to, which was a 
commodious structure almost devoid of paint, the sur- 
roundings of which denoted that the occupants were 
people in comfortable circumstances. 

Roy and Bumper were invited into the large living 
room of the house by the man of the house, who eyed 
them suspiciously. His wife, a tall raw-boned woman, 
with piercing black eyes and raven hair, — cast sharp 
glances in their direction as she prepared the meal on 
the polished cooking-stove. After Bumper and Roy 
were seated, the man told his wife that they would have 
company for supper, whereupon the woman shot a 
glance toward her guests, more piercing than any that 
had yet come their way ; then two additional plates 
were placed on the table, and more water added to the 
huge coffee boiler. Soon a gawky-looking girl, perhaps 
fifteen years of age, with long carrot-colored braids, 
came in bearing a pail of foaming milk, then a boy 
younger, perhaps, by two years, followed with a basket 
of chips. The chores completed, they washed their 
hands and stood expectantly waiting to be summoned 
to their respective seats at the table. 

When the meal was ready Roy and Bumper were in- 
vited to “ sit up.” Then the boy and girl demurely 
took their seats in time to bow their heads as the man 
of the house returned thanks. The woman poured the 
coffee and passed it around, while the man helped the 
plates. The meal passed off quietly ; the host being the 
only one to show any interest in the travellers. At an 


224 


TWICE LOYAL 


early hour Bumper and Roy were conducted to a room 
upstairs, the man going ahead with a tallow dip, which 
he placed on a little pine table near the bed. He then 
said good-night, and closed the door, locking it as he 
went out and taking the key with him. 

In whispered tones Roy and Bumper expressed their 
surprise at the man’s actions. However they were soon 
in bed and fast asleep. They were awakened at four 
o’clock the next morning, and when they descended to 
the room below they found breakfast awaiting them. 
The girl with the carrot-colored braids brought in the 
morning’s milk, and the boy his basket of chips. The 
same quiet that had marked the meal of the night be- 
fore was carefully observed. Roy and Bumper, having 
finished the meal, apprised the host that they must be 
moving. Then, thanking him for his hospitality, they 
opened the door, to find themselves confronted by four 
men, well-armed. Their surprise made them compara- 
tively easy captives, and when they had asked for an 
explanation, they were ordered to march ahead. 
Glancing back at the house as they passed through the 
yard, they noted the man and woman standing in the 
doorway, while the boy and girl stood on the door-step 
waving their handkerchiefs and laughing. Captors and 
captives plodded on for two days, resting at night at 
some cabin by the roadside; but all Roy and Bumper 
could learn was that the man who had lent them his 
hospitality for the night had reported them to the 
neighbors as scouting rebels, and that they were on 
their way to a Federal prison, where they were ex- 
pected to arrive in four days and would be held in 
captivity until they either died or were exchanged. 


CHAPTER XXXV 


So absorbed was the country in the progress of war 
that the passing of time was unheeded. Autumn 
slipped by, and winter enveloped the stricken land. 
Sherman, with the lordliness of a conqueror, marched 
on with his mighty army, sweeping everything before 
him ; bayonet and torch made beautiful homes deso- 
late. With the exultation of victory the horde pressed 
on, — thousands of voices singing Te Deum laudamus 
to war. In Virginia, Lee, with all the skill of a great 
general, was making one man count for four, thus 
enabling his little band of starving, ragged soldiers to 
prevent by strategy that which he was losing by weak- 
ness. In their universal wretchedness these few men 
stood unmoved, and in their daring courage and con- 
tempt of danger presented a lesson in loyalty unpar- 
alleled in either ancient or modern warfare. 

The coming of spring found Grant, with his over- 
whelming numbers, drawing tighter his lines around 
Petersburg. Then came the battle of “Five Forks.” 
The Confederate line was penetrated and the fate of 
Richmond sealed. It was well into the night of that 
last battle that a Federal officer, wandering over the 
moonlit battle-field, paused ever and anon with anxious 
brow above the silent sleepers. At length his eye rested 
upon the apparently inanimate form of a Confederate 
225 


226 


TWICE LOYAL 


soldier, his uniform denoting his rank. Something 
about the dark, handsome face attracted his attention. 
Leaning forward, he recognized in his fallen foe Colonel 
Robert Neville. Major Clark, for it was he that knelt 
beside the cavalier who, while cheering his gallant men, 
had been hit by the enemies’ bullet, hurriedly summoned 
assistance and the wounded officer in gray was borne to 
a rudely improvised hospital, where the best surgical 
aid of a well-equipped army was procured. 

The life which seemed fast drifting out was saved by 
medical skill and careful nursing, for no brother ever 
watched over brother with greater devotion than did 
Major Clark over the hero friend of the girl he loved; 
and when, several days later, Robert Neville opened his 
eyes to consciousness and was told that Lee had sur- 
rendered to Grant, a look of sadness came into his eyes. 
Taking the hand that had soothed him in delirium he 
said: 

“ It is better so. Why further sacrifice of humanity? 
The South is exhausted, and our proud Confederacy 
must gracefully accept the inevitable.” And Neville 
passed his hand wearily across his brow and closed his 
eyes as if to shut out some awful picture. 

Only God would ever know the depth of anguish in 
those brave Southern soldier hearts when brought to the 
bitter knowledge that they were crushed, — crucified, as 
it were, — on the altar of constitutional rights. Thus 
after four years of bitter struggle in the bosom of that 
grand old State, wherein was born the first impulse that 
started the revolution whereby the American colonies 
were severed from British rule, ended the War between 


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the States, and the nation was once more at peace. 
The cannon’s deafening roar had ceased. Throughout 
the North rose shouts of victory; but over the South- 
land rested a pall of darkness. The land of light and 
flowers had become a domain of death. 

Inscribed with the epitaph “ Defeat,” walled in by 
sectional hatred, hard indeed the fate decreed her! But 
harder still was the curse that awaited her “ disenfran- 
chised ” citizens, who a few months later, with no legal 
shield of defense, were forced to submit themselves to 
the dread shambles of reconstruction, the record of 
which will ever blaze as one of the most discreditable 
chapters in the annals of American history. 

Unfortunate it was for the people of the South that 
the promise held out to them by President Lincoln in 
his speech at Washington April 11, 1865, never came 
to fruition. For the hand of the assassin three days 
later had cut short the life that seemed most important 
in settling the existing condition of affairs. Able and 
candid exponents of public opinion in the South, even 
those who were part of the Lost Cause, were almost 
unanimous in regarding the death of President Lincoln 
as one of the greatest calamities that could have be- 
fallen that section of the country. 

The supreme folly of Andrew Johnson, who unfortu- 
nately succeeded Lincoln, only added dry fuel to the 
kindling flames. The South at once recognized that, 
while it had gained the stubborn will of Johnson, it had 
lost the large heart of Lincoln, — the link in the chain 
that secured the anchorage had been broken, and the 
South was launched upon a sea of disorder. 


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It was about the first week in May that Mr. Dobbs 
called at the house to inform Mrs. Hunter that the 
cotton crop, which had promised such luxuriant yield 
earlier in the season, was going rapidly to ruin, also 
that he had not been able to get more than three days’ 
work out of a single “ nigger ” on the plantation for 
two weeks past. Some of the young men, he said, had 
left, declaring that they would not work another day 
bossed by an overseer. Mr. Neville’s overseers, he 
added, were having the same trouble. 

“ I do not know what to advise,” said Mrs. Hunter ; 
“ but perhaps Colonel Neville when he returns can help 
us out.” 

Frankie Carey, coming into the library where sat her 
aunt and Mr. Dobbs, exclaimed with childish glee: 

“ Guess who has come, Aunt Elizabeth? ” 

“ Mr. Neville? ” said Mrs. Hunter. 

“ No; Roy Banes. His father told me this morning 
that he had gotten home, that he had been in prison 
since last October. Of course, I went right over to 
see him. Poor fellow ! he looks pitiful, — he does really, 
Aunt Elizabeth. His clothes that he wore home are 
nothing but rags, and his eyes look as though they 
were ready to drop backward. He is really sick, — 
took to his bed as soon as he got home. Mrs. Banes, 
poor woman, is almost heartbroken. She followed me 
out into the entry as I was leaving and told me that 
Roy wouldn’t talk, — would only answer questions ; that 
as hungry looking as he was he refused to eat. And 
when I asked him while standing at his bedside if I 
could do anything for him, he just stared at me with his 


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great eyes, until I felt as though I were going to have 
a chill earlier this season than usual. You know my 
siege of ague comes about the first of July.” 

The following day when Frankie took a bottle of old 
port wine, which had been in the wine closet be- 
fore her uncle’s death, over to the sick boy, Mrs. 
Banes met her at the front door and told her that Roy 
had requested her to say to Miss Carey if she came that 
it would spare him much pain if she would cease her 
calls. 

Frankie, without a word, left the wine and returned 
home. Going to her room that night, she cried until 
her eyes were swollen almost shut. 


CHAPTER XXXVI 


Toward the close of a warm sultry day in the latter 
part of May Catherine Hunter, with sad foreboding, 
walked leisurely along a familiar path. Crossing a 
small brook, she turned into the cool woods, where she 
soon found a spot that invited rest. Seating herself, 
she removed her hat and laid it beside her on the car- 
pet of brown needles dotted with purple violets. Clasp- 
ing her hands above her head, she was soon lost in 
thought. More than a month had now passed since 
the surrender, and no tidings had been received from 
Colonel Neville. Was he among the living, or sleeping 
quietly in some unmarked grave beside his fallen com- 
rades ? 

“ O God, it cannot be thus,” and Catherine groaned 
aloud. In the depth of her anguish she had called for 
help ; her eyes were looking upward as though trying 
fto search the mystery of the great celestial firmament. 
As if in response to her cry of despair, the snapping of 
a twig caused her to start. The golden hair that had 
become unconfined fell in rippling waves below her 
waist. And there, standing at a short distance, happi- 
ness lighting up his handsome face, was Robert Neville. 
No trace of the defeated soldier marked his bearing. 
Advancing to the girl’s side, he said: 

“ Pardon me, Miss Hunter, for thus intruding. I 
could not await your coming.” 

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44 When did you arrive? ” she gasped. 

44 This morning, at Neville Hall, — thirty minutes 
ago, at Myrwood.” 

He stood looking down at her, the dark eyes reveal- 
ing his heart. 

“ Are you glad to welcome me home, Catherine? ” 
Her shy eyes met his gaze ; he read in them that which 
thrilled him. He had served his seven years. His 
arms outstretched, she was caught to his breast. 

44 My darling ! ” he softly murmured ; 44 my own at 
last! Catherine, I have waited long to claim the one 
woman I worship. Tell me, dearest, that you will make 
me happy, — that you will be my wife.” 

44 Since you have been forced to surrender your 
sword, Colonel Neville, to the enemy, I will surrender 
my heart to you,” she playfully answered. 

He bent low, his lips meeting the tempting sweetness 
of hers. 

44 Catherine,” he softly murmured, 46 as my wife, you 
will be loved as few women are loved. Darling, I will 
endeavor to make your life all that you could ask.” 

The space about them was growing dusky. The sun 
was setting behind the tall pines. The scene w r ould 
ever be a happy remembrance to the couple. 

Standing under the great tree, Robert Neville drew 
his companion’s hand under his arm and together they 
wended their way home, talking as only lovers can talk. 
Once Mr. Neville abruptly quizzed her: 

44 Why didn’t you marry Major Clark? ” 

44 Because I did not love him,” she answered, then 
asked : 44 Who told you ? ” 


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44 The gentleman himself.” 

44 Where did you meet him? ” 

44 He found me, wounded and unconscious, on the 
battle-field.” 

Then came a brief account of that last conflict in 
which he fell and of his rescue from the jaws of death 
by his noble enemy. 

44 My gratitude to Major Clark, Robert, for saving 
your life is unbounded,” — looking up at him through 
glistening tears. 

44 He saved my life, darling, because it was to you he 
was indebted for his.” 

They had now reached a point where the house was 
in plain view. 

44 Who is that gentleman on the piazza with 
F rankie ? ” asked Catherine. 

44 One whom I believe formerly aspired to your hand, 
Miss Hunter; but is now betrothed to your cousin.” 

44 He came in company with you? ” she queried. 

44 Yes, to claim his bride, whom he hopes to take with 
him to his home the first of June. Catherine, it is my 
wish for you to become my wife on the same day that 
Frankie weds Major Clark; we will accompany them 
as far as New York, then sail from there for England, 
where business calls me.” 

44 Is this business of yours so pressing that you can- 
not wait until autumn ? ” she shyly asked. 

44 It is very necessary that I go at the earliest date 
possible; but I will never leave you, for whom I have 
waited so long. You have yielded me your heart, I 
now ask you to give me the right to take you with me. 


TWICE LOYAL 


£33 


Do not put me off longer, dearest. Promise me you 
will go, Catherine.” 

She slipped her hand into his, whispering : 

“ If you wish it so.” 


CHAPTER XXXVII 


The wedding day dawned clear and bright. 

The arrival of Dick Hunter and his wife had not 
the tendency of improving Mammy Dilcy’s already ruf- 
fled temper, and while arraying herself in the treasured 
finery of more prosperous days, she bestowed upon the 
worthy Dick epithets not complimentary. Standing 
before a cracked mirror that hung upon the wall just 
above a pine table, she skillfully arranged the bright 
turban about her grizzly kinky hair. 

“ I’se moughty glad dar’s one pussin dat has los’ 
he’s niggahs by de wa’,” — addressing her liege lord, 
who was carefully brushing a much-worn frock-tail coat 
with a bunch of turkey feathers. 

44 An’ who may dis honable pusson be, Miss Dilcy 
Hunter?” inquired Ezra, looking cautiously over his 
shoulder. 

44 Who? Why jes dat stuck-up Dick Hunter, who is 
no mo dan a freed niggah heself,” she answered with 
scorn. 

44 Dick ain’ worrin’ his brain ’bout de emancipatin 
ob dem two niggah boys ob his’n, Oman. Cause de 
man dat hep liberate dem is gwine gib him de mony ter 
buy de trac ob pine lan’ jees wes ob his house, an’ Dick’s 
makin’ peprations now, so he tole me dis mawnin, ter 
cut de timbah off* which, he specs ter sell ter de man dat 
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235 


put up de saw’mill las week two miles doun de creek 
fom whar he lib.” 

46 Huh! so dat Yankee major dat’s gwine mawry Miss 
Frank is gwine let him hab de money, is he? Well, hit 
does seem ter me dat he mought stribute he’s mony mo 
equally, an’ not gib hit all ter one big-haided fool ! ” 
said the indignant woman, as she took her black silk 
apron from the drawer of an ancient-looking bureau, 
and tied it about her ample waist. 

44 1’se neber been able yit, Dilcy, ter fine out why yu 
wuz so doun on dat mos’ worthy couple, but hit du 
look moughty liak yu wuz jelus ob sum body.” And 
Ezra, in his haste to don the garment he had finished 
brushing, flopped the long tail into the face of his 
steaming spouse, — who caught and held on to the gar- 
ment with both hands, while Ezra tried to disengage 
himself from the relic. 

44 Jelus ob sumbody, is I, Mistah Hunter ! I’ll teach 
yu how ter hole up fur dem black trash, yu ongrateful 
niggah ! ” 

Ezra, in his endeavor to get away had managed to 
pull Dilcy, still clinging to the coat-tail, to the open 
door. Dropping the broadcloth, Dilcy pushed him 
from the threshold, saying: 44 Clar out’n dis house 
an’ doan yu entah hit agin inside er week.” 

The old man, rejoicing in his lucky escape, hastened 
to the house; there to assume with dignity the duties 
which he had so faithfully performed for more than a 
quarter of a century. 

Dilcy, completing her toilet, sallied forth a half hour 
later and was soon critically surveying the girl brides. 


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“ Miss Caddie,” she said with pride, “ yu sartinly is 
de pootiest bride dat de sun eber shine upon; an yu’s 
gwine git de hansomes’t an fins’t husban in all de coun- 
try. Yes, honey; yu’s er moughty lucky gul.” And 
she courtsied low to Catherine, now robed in her moth- 
er’s wedding dress of rare old lace, which had been made 
over to fit the petite bride. 

“ Miss Frank, I’se dredful sorry dat yu’s gwine dis- 
grace yoself an’ de res ob us by condercendin ter marer 
a Yankee. What yu gwine do chile when yu go 
Norf ’bout habin sum un ter wait pon yu? How yu’s 
gwine manage yo wuk is moan I kin unstan.” 

“ Major Clark is very wealthy, Mammy,” interposed 
Catherine; “and Frankie, when in her home at the 
North, will be attended by white servants.” 

“ Go way fom hyer, Miss Caddie ! Who eber hurd ob 
one white pusson waitin’ on ernudder? I thawt dat’s 
what dem Northners bin fightin fur de las fo yeahs wuz 
ter free de country ob slabes.” 

“ You do not understand, Dilcy. The poor whites 
who work for the people of the Northern States are not 
slaves ; they are at liberty to work for whom they wish, 
and they collect their own wages.” 

The strains of the wedding march, coming from be- 
low, warned the cousins that the expectant hour had 
arrived. 

Robert Neville coming first with Catherine leaning on 
his arm, walked down the broad stairway, followed by 
Major Clark and Frankie. Entering the parlor, the 
two couples took their positions near an open window, 
through which the sunlight stealing fell on the white 


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brow of Catherine Hunter, giving a golden shimmer to 
the silken tendrils that had escaped from beneath the 
long veil and orange blossoms that crowned her sunny 
head. 

Frankie, high spirited, wayward, after the ceremony, 
looked up with a feeling of awe to him who was now her 
husband. No longer was she a self-willed girl seeking 
only her own wishes. She stood there in the realiza- 
tion of the fact that she had given another the right 
to guard and control her. 

When the time came for the good-byes to be spoken, 
Major Clark, releasing the black hand of the woman 
that had helped to nurse him back to health left therein 
a roll of greenbacks. Soon the carriage with the bridal 
couples was speeding down the broad driveway to catch 
the early afternoon train that would bear them north- 
ward to their new wedded life. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII 


It was the latter part of June before Roy Banes 
was able to be about again. Frankie’s marriage and 
going away had worn on him until he seemed to have 
developed into a hopeless, disappointed, groping 
wraith of his former self. The passing weeks brought 
no renewal of energy, and the time was drawing near 
for the return of Mr. Neville and his wife before he 
came to the realization of his irrational course. 
Prompted by an innate feeling of gratitude to his bene- 
factor, he began to make strenuous efforts to pluck his 
cherished disappointment from his bosom. 

In his new wisdom he aroused himself from the folly 
of allowing his youth to be blighted in its bursting and 
of permitting himself to plod on through the flight of 
years chasing a phantom. He would turn down the 
pages of a past life and live in the present. He would 
enter into the sympathies of his people in their efforts 
to ride above the demoralization by which they were 
surrounded, and thus in part forget the sharpness of 
his own imaginative wrongs. 

Roy Banes started on the first rounds of his new life 
at the beginning of the most trying and interesting 
epoch in the annals of the Southern States. Robert 
Neville had reopened his law office in the city, and Roy, 
as his pupil, was studying hard the old volumes that 
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Judge Hunter had collected and had prized almost as 
if they were a part of his very being. From these pages 
the boy was gathering the seed that was destined to 
bring him to the full fruitage of his new-born aspira- 
tion. 

In the early part of winter Roy was facing a new 
trouble: his father had sickened and died, leaving him 
as an inheritance the old mill ; the support of his mother 
necessarily devolved upon him. Through the gener- 
osity of Mr. Neville a small house was furnished for 
Mrs. Banes in town, where she was enabled to secure 
plain sewing. Being by nature a shrewd, industrious 
woman, she had refused any offer of her son’s benefac- 
tor to rely solely upon his bounty. Mr. Neville finally 
persuaded Roy that his services were becoming more 
valuable as months went by; thus his salary was in- 
creased and the widow and son were enabled to live 
comfortably. 

Returning from dinner one day in the early part of 
February Roy was greeted by a familiar voice coming 
from the open window of the Neville coach, which was 
standing in front of Mr. Neville’s office. Glancing in 
the direction of the vehicle, Roy recognized Frankie. 
She had never before looked so beautiful to him. The 
rich furs and dark red hat, with its long drooping 
plumes, made a perfect setting for her rich, brilliant 
beauty. She called to her old playmate, and he crossed 
over to where the carriage stood. 

46 1 am so glad to see you again, Mr. Banes,” — 
reaching out her hand. “ You are really beginning to 
look like a barrister. Mr. Neville tells me that you 


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are a wonderful student, and the chances are that you 
will yet develop into a great lawyer, as was my Uncle 
Thomas.” 

Roy, recovering somewhat from the embarrassment 
felt at meeting the girl whom he now realized he could 
never forget, ventured to reply : 

“ Mr. Neville, I fear, overestimates my cleverness.” 
Then he added: “The North agrees with you, Mrs. 
Clark. I think I never saw you with such a fine 
color.” 

“ Please address me as Frankie, Roy. Mrs. Clark 
sounds very formal for an old friend.” Her starry 
eyes were searching the fathomless depths of his gray 
orbs. Mrs. Neville’s coming from the office just then 
was a relief to Roy, who in after years, when he sat 
on the bench, one of the leading jurists in the South, re- 
called the interview of that February morning as being 
the greatest trial that ever came up before him. 

The carriage was well out of sight before Roy, who 
had promised to call on his old playmate, really realized 
what had transpired. Returning to his duties at the 
office, he copied some legal documents that required im- 
mediate attention, then, selecting a volume from the 
reprinted edition of Blackstone’s “ Commentaries,” he 
tried to lose himself in study. But the old longing had 
taken possession of him, and the girl now the wife of 
another had returned to teach him that love once 
thoroughly rooted cannot be readily eradicated. Once 
more he was overlooking a chasm of despair; his brain 
revolted against mental exertions, his appetite failed, 
and so perceptible was the change that had come, over 


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him, that Mr. Neville suggested a vacation. But Roy 
protested that he could not afford it. 

44 Your invaluable services to me, my boy, should be 
rewarded,” was Neville’s answer. 44 You have earned a 
rest which I insist that you take at my expense. Select 
a locality, and I will see that you reach it.” 

There aros& before Roy the girlish figure of Sally 
Simpkins ; he had promised her that he would come again 
after the war had closed; why not accept the vacation 
offered him and go to the mountains for a rest? 
Bumper Stiles would be glad to welcome him, and Sally 
would be delighted to see him he knew. What if she 
were married to the young mountaineer, Jim Keeler? 
It was almost ten months now since the surrender, and 
girls married young in that region. He recalled the 
simple words in answer to his question months ago, 
when he asked her if she would like to go to school and 
become a fine lady : 44 1 would like to go anywhar with 

yu, Roy, an’ be a lady, if’n hit wa ter you likin’.” 

44 I’ll go, Mr. Neville, if you think I deserve a vaca- 
tion. I have a friend and comrade in the Virginia 
mountains that will be glad to see me.” 

The following day Roy started on his journey, which 
proved to be a strenuous one owing to his unfamiliarity 
with the region, he having made the trip up the moun- 
tains but once with Bumper as guide. When the trav- 
eler arrived at the home of Mr. Stiles, where he was 
greeted with liberal cordiality, he learned that Bumper 
and Mandy had been married six months and were living 
with the old folks. Accepting an invitation to dinner, 
Roy immediately afterward set out to complete his jour- 


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ney to the Blodgett home, which he reached by^ night- 
fall. Bumper and Mandy were overjoyed at seeing 
him. The following day Roy went across the cove to 
see Sally Simpkins, whom he found very much improved. 
The girl did not conceal her delight at seeing him: 

“ I knowed yu’d cum cause you-uns tole me yu wa 
goin ter sometime,” she blushingly said, as he grasped 
her slender brown hand. 

“ Yu and Jim Keeler are not married, Sally?” he 
asked. 

“ I tole you-uns thet I did not keer fer him when he 
went ter war, an’ when he cum back, I keered less, an’ 
I tole him so. I’ve been er-tryin ter larn er little in my 
books, cause I knowed yu’d like fer me ter know mo 
than I do.” 

Time dragged heavily with Roy, there being little else 
to do but hunt, and sit around the open fireplace and 
talk to the uncouth mountain folk that congregated to 
discuss the neighborhood gossip. Squire Simpkins 
seemingly was quite the busiest man in that section, his 
distillery being the motor that furnished the artificial 
heat necessary for the mountaineer during those cold 
February days. One day Roy questioned Sally re- 
garding her education. 

“ Pap ’lows ez how he hez nuf money ter pay fer 
my schoolin,’ but he’s mos afraid ter let me go erway 
frum home; I’m ’lowin’ ez you-uns mite let me go back 
with yu, Roy. I cu’d larn er heap in my books frum 
yu.” 

Her words, like an electric shock, reminded Roy forci- 
bly of his own childhood when he too was seeking that 


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knowledge that had raised him to the level of the man 
reared within the pale of dominating power and wealth. 
What would have been his fate, had not Frankie Carey 
encouraged his aspirations, and interceded for him by 
using her influence with Mr. Neville? This child of the 
mountains who, no doubt, had saved his life,* had asked 
him to help her in gaining an education. He was her 
debtor ; he must pay that which he owed ; he would take 
Sally home with him, provided her parents would con- 
sent to the proposition. She could help his mother 
about the house and he could prepare her for the next 
year’s term at the academy by instructing her when 
his day’s work Was over. 

A talk with Mr. and Mrs. Simpkins that night de- 
cided the girl’s fate; she would accompany Roy to his 
home, and there begin her first lessons that would qual- 
ify her to enter school. Mrs. Banes was not less sur- 
prised than were Mr. and Mrs. Neville when Sally was 
introduced to them a week later. Frankie having re- 
turned to her home at the North, Roy was spared the 
pain of meeting her again for five years. Mr. Neville 
had informed him of Major Clark’s intention to go 
abroad, hoping thereby to regain his health, which had 
perceptibly failed within the past twelve months. 
Frankie, of course, would travel with her husband. 
Away from her bewitching face and tantalizing smile 
Roy again grappled with his ebbing manhood, and 
smiled at his weakness; for he realized the responsibil- 
ity that he had assumed. 

Nothing equalled the wild chaos that prevailed in the 
South during the first years after hostilities had ceased 


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between the states. With the curse of disenfranchise- 
ment resting upon her people, and with the reestab- 
lished State governments officered by aliens made pom- 
pous in power by the negro ballot, a gloom universal 
was produced. Throughout the conquered States the 
emancipated slaves, intoxicated with a draught of free- 
dom and looking with contempt upon the just restraints 
of law and morality, unceremoniously threw aside the 
implements of labor and flocked day after day to rural 
villages and towns. In fact, there was an era of law- 
lessness inaugurated throughout the paralyzed land, 
which called forth the combined efforts of the whites to 
protect as far as possible their interests. 

In many instances the military troops quartered at 
different points were productive of more disorder than 
quiet. Every local camp became a sort of confessional 
to the negro who was blind to his own sins but ever- 
ready to complain of his associates and sometimes of 
his former master, — especially if the confessor had 
been taken to task for some misdemeanor. In many 
instances men were compelled to stand guard with shot- 
guns night after night to protect the little left from the 
wreckage of the war. Notwithstanding the fact that 
the religious instinct had been strongly developed in 
the negro, he very certainly never became so conse- 
crated but that the chicken roost and smoke-house of 
his former master and neighbor became public prop- 
erty. 

Then came a horde of unprincipled politicians into 
the state, who fanned into intenser heat the animosity 
between the races, and, stimulated by no higher motives 


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than self aggrandizement, endeavored to widen the 
breach between the whites and blacks, in order to com- 
mand the votes of the latter and thus secure to them- 
selves the spoils of office. Among these was Ethan 
Gibbs, who had returned to the field from which he had 
reaped his ill-gotten wealth, and was again trying his 
fortune on the lottery wheel labeled 44 Reconstruction.” 
It was a known fact that he was a leading factor in the 
local race agitation, and that he would endeavor to se- 
cure for himself an office. 

Robert Neville’s time being given largely to his State 
at this trying period, Roy Banes was left to assume 
most of the duties of the law office, and there was 
scarcely a day but what there was some complaint made 
against Ethan Gibbs in his hearing; but the fellow’s 
unprincipled shrewdness managed to gain the good-will 
and votes of the negro element by supplying them with 
cheap whiskey and tobacco. In fact, there was no 
moral law drawn between Mr. Gibbs and his aspirations. 
However degraded the man he desired for a tool, the 
scheming office-seeker could find his level. Night after 
night he could be seen coming from some remote cabin, 
usually accompanied by a huge negro, — half beast, half 
human, — and when the votes were cast at the spring 
election, he was among the successful candidates chosen 
to fill a paying office, which placed him in a position 
whereby he might vent his malice upon those who had 
incurred his displeasure. 

To Roy Banes, whom Ethan very well remembered as 
being a champion of Frankie Carey’s, he contributed 
many indignities. His fear of Robert Neville, however, 


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clung tenaciously to him, and if at any time he had 
occasion to meet Mr. Neville it was quite noticeable 
that Mr. Gibbs’ face immediately became livid, that his 
hands shook as if with palsy. His position as a lead- 
ing office-holder emboldened him to seek the society of 
Virginia Lipscombe, who tolerated her egotistical 
suitor as a cat tolerates its victim. 

The sway of reconstruction was indeed a dark pic- 
ture for the South; a revolution could not have been 
more disastrous. Men who had reached old age met 
the crash unflinchingly and resumed their hard labor 
of pioneer days. The claims of the widow and orphan 
were unlawfully distributed, and the encroachers sud- 
denly grew rich. If ever despondency, and asperity 
was excusable in a people, it was excusable in the con- 
quered Southerners. The South was indeed in the cru- 
cible of affliction. 

Sally Simpkins improved rapidly under Roy’s care- 
ful tutorship ; the mountain dialect, which was so no- 
ticeable in her speech, gradually disappeared ; and 
when she entered the academy the following autumn, she 
received marked attention for both her beauty and apt- 
ness. Mr. Gibbs, with the evil mind of corrupt man- 
hood, attracted by the young girl’s unusual beauty, 
endeavored to gain her favor. He would frequently in- 
tercept her on her way to and from school and offer 
her bonbons, which she always refused. Coming from 
school one evening, Sally rushed into the office where 
Roy sat at his desk writing. 

“ I wish you would give that scalawag a flogging, 


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Roy,” she said, placing her books near his elbow, her 
face flushing. 

44 What scalawag, Sally? ” he asked, a twinkle in his 
eye. 

44 That contemptible Mr. Gibbs,” she answered, tears 
coming to her eyes. 

44 What has the fellow been doing that has aroused 
your spirit to this excitable stage? ” he asked more 
concernedly. 

44 He told me that I was a temptingly pretty girl, 
and asked me to ride with him. I’ll write to my father 
to come all the way from the Virginia mountains to 
thrash him, — if you don’t,” she said, tying the un- 
loosened ribbon that adorned the wealth of dark silken 
hair that fell in braids below her waistline. 

44 You are improving, Sally. For the first time since 
coming here you say 4 father ’ instead of 4 pap ’ without 
being prompted. I certainly feel encouraged; and to 
reward you, little girl, I will speak to Mr. Gibbs about 
this matter. I don’t think he will annoy you again,” 
said Roy, stroking the small hand that rested on the 
desk so near his arm. For a half-hour or more after 
Sally had left the office Roy’s face was a study. Only 
by the force of his indomitable will had he retained 
his composure, and stifled his rising anger while she 
was in his presence. 

44 The black-hearted scoundrel ! How dare he accost 
this child who is under my protection? I’ll settle with 
him at once,” he muttered. 

That evening Mr. Gibbs was surprised by receiving 


248 


TWICE LOYAL 


a call from Mr. Banes. The interview, however, was of 
short duration ; and when the caller had taken his leave, 
the face of Ethan Gibbs was noticeably several shades 
whiter than when his visitor was admitted to his pres- 
ence. 

Months passed, and there was no complaint from 
Sally against Ethan Gibbs. The spring and summer 
had come and gone, and autumn was again touching 
blooming foliage. It was the latter part of October. 
Roy, who was one of the leaders of the clan that had 
been inaugurated in the county, was making ready for 
a ride of five miles in the country, where he had been 
asked to deliver an address to the members of the clan 
in a certain rural district, and Sallie was protest- 
ing. 

“ Why should I have a body-guard this particular 
night, Sally? I have made similar trips without a 
word from you? ” asked Roy. 

“ This is your first call from home since that inter- 
view with Mr. Gibbs regarding his conduct toward me. 
Watching him closely since then, I have noticed a look 
of hatred that comes to his countenance when you are 
anywhere near, and as I was passing the court-house a 
half-hour ago, he was to all appearances having a pri- 
vate council with a half-dozen or more negroes. I fear, 
Roy, that he will try to harm you in some way,” said 
Sally with a look of distress on her face. 

“ I’m willing to settle any differences that may exist 
between Mr. Gibbs and myself, Sally.” 

“ Yes ; if he would meet you in the daylight, like a 
man. But to surprise you some dark night, with a 


TWICE LOYAL 


249 


mob of negroes to help him in his cowardly work, would 
mean trouble for you, Roy.” 

“ I am sure that there is nothing too low for Ethan 
Gibbs and his followers, Sally; but I will risk coming 
in contact with them to-night. Besides, no one has 
been apprised of my intentions to make this trip.” 

“ I only hope you may be permitted to return home, 
without coming in contact with that fellow and his 
gang, Roy.” There was an unmistakable tremor in the 
girl’s voice as she left the room. 

The gray dusk of the October evening found Roy 
well on his way to fill his appointment, — the clatter of 
his horse’s hoofs reverberating through the dense wood 
that hedged the roadway over which he was speeding. 
Sally Simpkins, standing on the piazza of the Banes 
cottage, watched Roy until he was well out of sight. 
She also noted the form of Ethan Gibbs, as he emerged 
from behind a large tree that grew near the corner of 
the street. She very well knew that the fellow had 
stationed himself there purposely to watch Roy’s move- 
ments; that he intended to harm him she was almost 
certain. She did not mention the matter, however, to 
Mrs. Banes, but soon had a plan formed for reinforcing 
Roy, provided he was attacked. 

On her way from school, having seen Mr. Neville’s 
faithful old negro William in town with a one-horse 
buggy, she would ask Mrs. Banes to let her spend the 
night with Mrs. Neville, a privilege sometimes granted 
her when Mr. Neville was away from home. A half- 
hour later Sally was perched on the seat beside William, 
whom she finally coaxed (by disclosing her secret) to 


250 


TWICE LOYAL 


let her have the use, for some hours, of a horse from 
Mr. Neville’s stables. 

It was quite dark when Sally, mounted on Mr. Ne- 
ville’s favorite mare, cantered briskly down the avenue 
of Neville Hall, and out onto the open highway. Fear- 
lessness was natural to this child of the mountains ; and 
alone she rode at a rapid gait, with ear open to each 
tiny sound that broke the stillness of the night. 


CHAPTER XXXIX 


Reaching her destination, for William had given her 
an accurate description as to the locality of the build- 
ing where Roy was expected to speak, Sally drew rein 
beneath the large tree a half-mile perhaps from the 
dimly lighted school-house, where she awaited the com- 
ing of Roy. At last there came to her ear the sound 
of heavy footfalls, and she knew the meeting had ad- 
journed. Then indistinct figures moved to and fro, 
each to his saddle ; her nervous glance catching spectral 
shapes, as they dispersed in different directions. Soon 
two horsemen, dimly silhouetted against the murky sky, 
came toward her, and as they drew near she could dis- 
cern voices, and when they were passing her she recog- 
nized the voice of one of the speakers as being Roy’s. 
Peering through the gloom, she watched the horsemen 
until they were almost out of sight, then she urged her 
own steed in the same direction. 

A mile further on where the road crossed Sally, who 
had managed to keep a respectable distance, noticed 
that the men who rode abreast were soon going in op- 
posite directions. She knew very well which road Roy 
would take. 

“ We must keep as close to him as we dare, Rebel,” 
whispered Sally, bending low and caressing the sleek 
arched neck of the thoroughbred that had carried 

Colonel Neville through the four years of war. 

251 


252 


TWICE LOYAL 


Another half-mile stretch, and she knew that her 
horse was crossing the bridge that spanned the creek, 
which was at least three miles from town. 

44 If they attack him, it will be in that clump of dense 
wood beyond the bridge.” Not a muscle moved as she 
murmured the words almost inaudibly, her face still 
close to the head of her dumb friend. 

Slipping her hand beneath the short skirt slie wore 
Sally unbuckled a leather belt that encircled her waist, 
drawing therefrom a revolver which she firmly grasped. 
Barely had the girl replaced the belt, when there came 
on the still night air a sound that made her blood run 
cold. 

44 They are firing on him, Rebel. We must lose no 
time. Go ! ” she commanded. The animal, stretching 
his long limbs, crossed the bridge and gained the clump 
of woods in less time than three minutes after the girl 
had given orders. 

The light from the last-quarter moon, struggling 
through the foliage of the great trees, threw a pale light 
upon Roy sitting erect in his saddle. A flash from the 
roadside, then a bullet shot reverberated through the 
dense stillness of the night, and Sallie saw the weapon 
that glistened in Roy’s firm grasp fall to the ground. 
Then there came to her ears a faint groan. The 
girl urged her steed forward and was soon at Roy’s 
side. 

44 The scoundrel has wounded you. I will serve him 
in like manner.” Sally raised her arm and began a 
rapid firing in the direction from which she had noticed 
the flash. Then came the sound of retreating foot- 


TWICE LOYAL 


253 


falls through the crackling underbrush, as though some 
one were making an effort to run. Then there came 
a succession of muttered oaths, followed by a heavy 
thud. At this the girl ceased firing. 

“ Are you hurt, Roy ? ” she asked. 

“ Merely a disabled arm,” he answered. 

“ I will dismount and search for a victim. I may 
be a murderer. Did you hear a sound as if some one 
had fallen when I had emptied the fourth chamber of 
my revolver? ” she asked. Sally was not blind to the 
fact that Roy was hurt. A deathlike whiteness bathed 
his face. 

“ Hark, Sally, a moan comes from that thicket by the 
roadside. Hasten and see. You may be able to lend 
assistance.” 

The girl, with the agility of a young panther, sprang 
in the direction from which the groan had come, and 
soon there came back on the night breeze to Roy sit- 
ting astride his horse, the announcement that Mr. Gibbs 
was badly wounded in his right leg and that Sally 
feared he would bleed to death ere help could be sum- 
moned. 

“ Go bring the doctor at once, Sally. I will remain 
here,” said Roy, trying hard to staunch the blood that 
trickled from his wound. 

“ I think you need medical aid quite as much as does 
Mr. Gibbs, Roy. You are as white as a ghost this 
very minute. Do } r ou feel faint?” The girl had re- 
turned to where his horse was standing, and stood 
anxiously looking up into Roy’s face. 

“ I have lost some blood and am a trifle weakened.” 


254 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ I will assist you to dismount, then find a place 
where you may rest.” 

“ Weak you certainly are, sir. Why, you can 
scarcely walk. Come recline against this fallen tree 
until I return.” 

Sallie had helped Roy from his saddle, he leaning 
heavily against her as they crossed slowly the road to 
where an uprooted tree showed dark in the pale moon- 
light. Assuring herself that her companion was quite 
comfortable, the girl tied his horse to a small tree 
nearby. Then, mounting her own fleet-footed animal 
she was soon out of sight. 

The half-hour seemed long to Roy, who realized that 
his strength was ebbing. The stillness was broken by 
an occasional moan coming from the opposite side of 
the road. Ethan Gibbs was suffering intensely from 
the wound Sally had given him that she might save 
Roy’s life. The girl, though young in years, possessed 
a strong character and marvelous power of forethought. 
She had saved his life twice, thought Roy. Was he 
not doubly her debtor? The significance of all this w r as 
a reminder that Sally had never referred to any at- 
tachment for him since her installation in his home. 
If she cared for him other than as a benefactor, he 
was ignorant of the fact. He had tried hard to im- 
press upon her the fact that any interest he might show 
in regard to her was that of an older brother for a 
sister. He had watched her closely, noting the changes, 
the improvement, the bursting of her dark beauty, 
which had caused him no little uneasiness, because of 
the temptation that might come to her. Had he never 


TWICE LOYAL 


255 


known Frankie, Sally, no doubt, would have appealed 
to him, for the two girls were very much alike. 

As he gazed up into the starlit heavens, a bat circled 
for a minute above his head, then the note of a whip- 
poor-will pleading with its mate came distinctly on 
the night air from a distant wood. His train of 
thought was interrupted by the sound of horses’ hoofs 
on the hard road, and soon a conveyance drawn by a 
pair of bays stopped near to where Roy reclined. 
Sally sprang from the vehicle. 

“ The Doctor’s here, Roy. He will attend you first.” 
She was stooping down to search Roy’s face. 

“ He had better look after the man across the road, 
Sally. His groans have made me forget my wound. 
There it comes again, — that moan of agony. Go to 
his relief at once.” The girl did not note the effort 
made to enable his words to reach her ; and ere she had 
joined the Doctor, who was endeavoring to find a hitch- 
ing post, Roy had fainted. 

The light of the morning sun, coming through the 
window, showed the pale face of Roy as he lay upon 
his bed. Mrs. Banes and Sally had watched anxiously 
his awakening; and when he opened his eyes they knew 
he was better. The Doctor had left orders that he 
must be kept quiet for several days; and when, at the 
close of three weeks, he was able to walk to his office, 
his friends crowded about him clamoring for his con- 
sent to punish the coward who had endeavored to take 
his life. Mr. Gibbs was nursed back to health; but he 
found it necessary to leave the State. One night in 
November he was escorted across the line by a posse of 


256 


TWICE LOYAL 


men who rode, silent, determined, white-robed, — Roy’s 
fellow clansmen. And thus the community had one 
less of the horde that was usurping the rights of men 
whose ancestors had been forged upon the anvil of the 
Constitution. 

Five years had now elasped since Frankie had visited 
her Southern home. Her letters fj*om foreign lands 
brought no encouraging news of her husband or his 
failing health. Meanwhile, Roy Banes had climbed 
rapidly, and now filled the chair of prosecuting attor- 
ney. He was one of the bright young lights of the 
New-South; lending his energies to the uplifting of 
his State, as she slowly emerged from her paralyzed 
condition. 

He received the news of Major Clark’s failing health 
with the indifference of a stranger. He went into so- 
ciety but little, although the flattery and attention he 
received were sufficient to turn the head of a much 
older man. Roy Banes, during the lapse of years, had 
developed into a fine looking man of commanding pres- 
ence. His genial nature and pleasant smile won for 
him friends among the rich and poor alike. He was al- 
ways a ready helper of the needy, having received ex- 
cellent training along this line from Mr. Neville, who 
in his generosity had given Roy the privilege of draw- 
ing on him whenever he deemed it necessary for any 
charitable purpose. 

On the eighth anniversary of her marriage word 
came from the North that Frankie had returned with 
her husband’s body ; for Major Clark had died in Italy. 
There was a hasty departure of Mr. Neville and Cath- 


TWICE LOYAL 


257 

erine, and before Mr. Banes could bring himself to the 
realization of what had occurred, they had returned 
home accompanied by Frankie, who was now a rich 
young wddow, Major Clark having left a princely for- 
tune to his wife. 

The first time that Roy met Frankie he could not 
help noticing the change that had come over her ; al- 
though her cheeks were paler and thinner she had grown 
more beautiful than he had ever dreamed a woman could 
be, and the sorrow through which she had passed was 
reflected in the dark eyes. The merry laugh that had 
been a part of her girlish self had mellowed, and now 
seemed blended more perfectly with the music of her 
low voice. There was a charm in the womanly shyness 
toward the handsome matured man whom she greeted 
with a smile that caused his heart to leap with renewed 
hopes of future possibilities. The spell of her witchery 
was again upon him, with renewed strength. 

A year passed before Frankie regained her former 
cheerfulness. She had grieved deeply over the loss of 
her husband who had done so much for her. Mr. Ne- 
ville being her counsellor, she was a frequent visitor 
at his law office, and it was there that Roy sometimes 
met her. He was still making strides upwards. The 
prospect of his filling one of the highest official seats 
in the State was indeed most flattering. The one tal- 
ent God had given him had grown until it now flashed 
with meteoric brilliancy. The people of his common- 
wealth were proud of the man that had triumphed over 
the difficulties of his birth, one that exemplified the 
fact that true nobility is not confined to the patrician 


258 


TWICE LOYAL 


class, but that the lowliest of earth’s children may be 
endowed with the attributes of a nobleman, — exempli- 
fying, too, the possibility that the imperfect fiber of 
inheritance can be changed to the finest texture of cul- 
ture by sheer will-power and determination to attain the 
highest. 


CHAPTER XL 


Two years had now passed since the death of Major 
Clark - , Frankie had spared no expense in beautifying 
Myrwood, which would come to her at the death of 
Mrs. Hunter. The old home again resounded with her 
merry laughter. She had not forgotten the art of 
playing pranks, and it may be said that the rising gen- 
eration of the free negro did not escape. Dilcy, com- 
ing into the kitchen one day and finding Frankie with 
her sleeves up to the elbows mixing dough for biscuits, 
said : 

“ Miss Frank, hit do seem dat de ole place done bin 
resrected, since yu done come home. Lawd ! Lawd ! hit 
way shoah nuf liak goin’ fru er graveyard ter go fru 
de house wif yu an’ Miss Caddie bof gone. Miss ’Lis- 
beth she jes walk fum room ter room lookin’ mo liak 
er hant dan er shuah nuf oman. Mistah Banes, — dat 
people say is gwine be de leadin’ man in de State befo 
he done quit, — he jis ride by de big gate an’ neber 
look toard de house, no mo dan if hit wuz not standin’. 
Who yu reckon dat man eber gwine think good nuf fer 
er wife, honey P I’se heard some say dat his heart done 
dried spang up.” 

44 Why should such a report as that get afloat, 
mammy ? Who ever heard of a withered heart in a man 

possessing the activity of Mr. Banes?” 

259 


260 


TWICE LOYAL 


“ Dat’s de news dats goin’ de rouns ob de commun- 
ity. Kase no heart but a sho nuf daid one eber gwine 
beat on day arfter day an year in an year out wifout 
showin some mite of sentiment, wif de handsomest wo- 
men in de State er pullin’ at hit. Ebin dat Sally Simp- 
kins, dat he done brung fum de Yirginy mountins ter 
educate, kase she sabe his life an’ keep him fum bein’ 
captured arfter he done help Major Clark ter scape 
de nite befo he wuz gwine be shot by de thorities in de 
Confedate army. (Yu’s done herd de perticlus I rec- 
on’s ob dat darin’ escape of yo deceased husban.) — 
Ya’s eben dat gal who worships Mistah Banes, (so de 
report goes,) cain bring him ter her feet an she de 
greatest beauty dat walk de streets ob any town, so 
hit’s said by dem dat seen her de las’ time she wuz 
hyah on er visit ter de Banes home, frum boardin’ 
school, whar Mistah Roy done put her three years ergo. 
What yu think ob dat, honey ? ” 

“ When Sally is through school Mr. Banes will 
doubtless surprise the people hereabouts by marrying 
his adopted ward, Dilcy, and methinks she may yet be 
the first lady of our State, for it is no secret that he 
will soon occupy the Governor’s chair,” said Frankie. 

46 Dar no tellin’ what dat man’s goin do, Miss Frank. 
Who’d eber thot dat pitiful lookin Banes brat, dat us- 
idter come er-peekin fru de pailin fence er lookin fer 
yu, liak er-skeered rabbit, would hab bin what he is ter- 
day? But yu neber know what de tree gwine be from 
de sprout. I members moughty well ob sayin ter Ezra 
dat I wuz erf raid dat scrub would git his heart sot on 
yu; an when I wuz apprised ob your engagement ter 


TWICE LOYAL 


261 


Mistah Clark I tells yu, chile, I was moughty relieved ; 
case hit wuz my pinion dem days dat eben a Yankee 
wuz preferable ter er Banes seedlin’.” 

“ I predicted for Roy Banes a bright future, Mammy, 
when he and I played together as children ; but I did 
not really expect him to develop into the very hand- 
some ? distinguished-looking man that he now is.” 
Frankie had placed the pan of biscuits in the oven of 
the new range that she had presented to Dilcy some 
months previous, but which was rarely used by the old 
negress, who declared: 

44 I neber gwine larn ter cook on sech a piece ob 
furniture as dat range, kase vittals cooked in de ole 
way taste bettah dan when dey’s spiled in one ob dem 
new-fangled machines dat some folks purten’ to liak.” 

Ezra darkened the doorway just then, and coming 
hesitatingly in, said: 

44 Dat Mistah Banes had jest lef a book for Miss 
Frank, an* say dat he would call on his way back to 
town.” 

Frankie’s face became suddenly highly colored. 

44 I reckon dat gemmans done come ter de conclu- 
sion dar’s one oman good nuf fur him de way he’s bin 
er-sendin books an flowers ter Miss Frank heah. I’se 
neber gwine blame yu now, honey, if yu taik him, kase 
he sartinly am de smartest man eny-whar ’bout heah, 
’ceptin Marse Robert Neville; an’ I recon he’s gwine git 
pas’ him, de way he’s movin now,” said Dilcy. 

44 Mr. Banes’ attentions to me, Mammy, are merely 
those of an old friend.” 

44 Go long, way, Miss Frank ; yu cain make me accep’ 


262 


TWICE LOYAL 


dat excuse ob youah’s. No, honey; dat man ain comin 
roun heah just kase yu-all wa’ chilun tergether. Ez 
shoah ez yu’s bawn, chile, dar’s somethin stronger dan 
frienship er-warmin dat man up.” 

The biscuits were removed from the oven, and Frankie 
escaped to the house, there to take her place at the 
dinner table. 

Mr. Banes stopped that evening but there was noth- 
ing in his manner toward her that denoted other than 
the old friend. It was well toward morning ere sleep 
came to her eyes. 

Frankie had come to realize the fact that Roy Banes, 
who had been her ideal of boyhood, was now her king 
among men. There had not been the least manifesta- 
tion of sentiment on his part for her since her return 
to the old home. True he had sent books and flowers, 
but merely as a friend. She had heard of the marve- 
lous beauty of Sally Simpkins and of her devotion to 
Roy. That the girl deserved his love she did not hesi- 
tate to admit, but hard it was to bring herself to the 
point of submission, — to yield the claim she had never 
entirely relinquished. Although she tried to convince 
herself that she cared for him only as a friend, — the 
girl whose beauty had created such a sensation would 
rise before her, and all the jealousy of Frankie’s na- 
ture would take possession of her being. 

“ I love him ; — have always loved him. God is mock- 
ing me for what I have made him suffer ! ” she would 
cry out in her agony. Then her better nature would 
reason thus : “ Sally Simpkins is just budding into 

womanhood. He has reached the zenith of his man- 


TWICE LOYAL 


263 


hood, and no doubt remembers my girlish advice to him 
years ago when I told him of my engagement to Major 
Clark. That a man should be years the senior of the 
woman he would make his wife? I am ten years older 
than when we two sat on that vine embowered rock, and 
I there confessed to him the possible love for the man 
I married. Little did I dream then that my boy lover 
would reach the pinnacle of fame, or that he would de- 
velop into the magnificent Apollo of manhood that 
marks his princely bearing. Can it be that I look with- 
ered and old to him, now that Sally in her fresh girl- 
ish beauty might be his for the asking? ” 

June and July had slipped by and August had come. 
Hoy and Frankie, who had drifted into their old cus- 
tom of long rambles together through well-remembered 
paths, beloved by early association, had wandered one 
mid-summer’s day to the same rock that projected over 
the stream that wound its way through the beautiful 
woods skirting the lower land about Myrwood. There 
was the same canopy of wild over-hanging grape- 
vines. 

The two were seated as they had been on that Aug- 
ust day, ten years before, when he had seen only 
the roguish uplifted face smiling out from its frame 
of satiny braids, she oblivious to all save the manly 
form at her side. 

“ Frankie, do you recognize this ? ” said the man at 
her side, holding up a curl which he had taken from 
an inner pocket of his coat. There was a new light in 
his eyes. He had come to claim his own. 

Her face reflected the color of the damask rose that 


264 


TWICE LOYAL 


nestled in the white folds that concealed her swelling 
bosom. 

“ Do you know, little woman, that this day marks the 
tenth anniversary of that long ago when I severed this 
memento from the head of a seventeen-year-old girl? 
How well I remember the prophecy of the witch maiden, 
which as yet has never been fulfilled. Do you recall 
your words of that day, Frankie? You told me ten 
years ago that I would forget my boyish fancy and 
learn to love another with the mature love of a man. 
I have tried hard to get beyond the memory of that 
girl and that day; but with me to love once is to love 
always, and I find that the love formed in early youth 
has grown until it has now reached its limit, just as 
the physical man has reached his greatest strength. 
My aspirations for worldly honors have come to me 
tenfold, if I could now but hope to win the love that 
means more to me than that which I have already 
gained, I could very truthfully say that my cup run- 
neth over, — that certainly there was nothing more to 
add to the fullness of my earthly life.” 

She placed her dimpled hand on his, her eyes glowed 
behind the dewy mist that shaded them. 

“ Frankie, dare I ask you to give me hope, dear? 
God knows, dearie, how I have carried your image with 
me through the months and years of toil ; and to have 
you now crush out the little hope that has come into 
my life since your return to the old home would be 
like shutting me out from the very light of the sun.” 

“ It would certainly be very selfish to allow you to 
grope your way through life in utter darkness, Roy, 


TWICE LOYAL 


265 


and if you think that I am really very necessary to 
your happiness, dear, I am ready to begin where we 
left off ten years ago, — if you are willing to take me.” 

His arms were about the rounded waist, her head 
nestled on the broad shoulder of the man, who gazed 
down into the upturned face with the passion of the 
lover who has at last found his lost love. 

. 44 Roy, do you know, dear, that I have always been 
loyal to you? God created us one for the other.” And 
she looked shyly up into the depths of his deep-set eyes. 

“Yes, my love; you have been loyal to your first 
love, and loyal to the noble man whose name you wear, 
— Hence your watchword, 4 Twice Loyal.’ I am 
proud to love such a woman, proud to possess her love.” 

The words, as they came from his lips at last to her 
listening ears, created within her a new happiness ; and 
when the sun had settled behind the great trees, they 
stood on the brink of the rock looking down into the 
water, which reflected back the faces above. 

44 Look, Frankie,” cried Roy, indicating the carica- 
ture in the water. 44 Do you not think, sweetheart, that 
the woman of twenty-seven reflected below is far more 
beautiful than the girl of seventeen ? ” 

Frankie smiled up at him, her scarlet lips parted. 
He took her in his arms and pressed upon her lips a 
kiss. Assisting her to the ground, they walked to- 
gether through the deepening gloom of the dense woods, 
as they had ten years ago, toward the great white 
house on the rising slope beyond. . 



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